There were tears. There was emotion and drama. But more than anything else, there was a fourth straight Ohio Valley Conference tournament victory, and NCAA College Cup birth along with it, won by the Eastern Illinois Panther women’s soccer squad.

The Panthers answered every call they needed to when they played against the regular season champion Samford Bulldogs on the host team’s hostile territory Sunday afternoon.

Eastern came back from a one-goal deficit twice on their way to a last minute, dramatic finish that crowned the Panthers OVC champions again with a 3-2 victory.

“What a game … we’re going to the big dance again,” Eastern coach Steve Ballard said, while sighing in relief after the tight-knit game had concluded. “Four straight championships, it truly is unbelievable.”

Throughout the year, Eastern had found themselves in positions similar to what they were in against Samford. In late game situations, Eastern had not found the success they had hoped for.

But all that turned around on Sunday when the Panthers rallied for two goals in the final three minutes of the game to turn a 2-1 Samford advantage to a 3-2 Eastern victory that could be considered one of the best comebacks ever at Eastern.

“Seriously, I think I had 14 strokes out there today,” junior defender Morgan Frericks, who scored the game tying goal during the 87th minute, said. “I didn’t think I was going to score but after I flipped it up I was able to turn and see it go over the goalie’s head, and after that it was just pure excitement.”

Samford scored the first goal of the game, and senior Audra Frericks answered just before the half to tie the game up for the first time.

The game was tied for the majority of the second half, before Samford scored again to put the Panthers in a short-lived hole.

With only three minutes remaining, Morgan’s game tying goal was also her first goal of the season. And it came as a result of Ballard pushing all of his players forward in an attempt to tie the game up through pressure that he hoped would provide the scoring opportunities the team needed.

“After they went ahead with the second goal of the game, we didn’t hesitate or doubt ourselves,” Ballard said. “This was a total team effort, and we were just able to put tremendous pressure (on Samford) and that was why we went ahead.”

After the game was tied, emotions on the team weren’t given a break because forward Sharyne Connell put the game-winning goal on the board only about a minute and a half later.

Connell found herself amongst a group of people after a crossing pass worked its way to the middle of the field. The ball bounced off a few players and found its way to Connell’s foot, an opportunity was created that Connell wasn’t going to miss.

“I didn’t do any of the hard work; the ball just found its way to me,” Connell said. “Then I was just able to get enough on it to put the ball past the goalie on her left side, but I basically miss hit it and it still went in.

“No matter what happened on that play tough, there was just so much heart out on the field for us today that we couldn’t be denied.”

The game was somewhat similar to last year’s championship game that put the Panthers in the NCAA College Cup as well.

The same two teams played, and the closeness of the game was strikingly similar considering each game went down to the final moments before it was finally decided.

The only difference was that last year’s match made its way to overtime, while this year the game was decided in regulation time.

“We knew we had to come back, and the passion was even higher for me knowing this could be my last game,” senior Audra Frericks, who was named tournament MVP, said. “The entire team was giddy after the goal was scored, but we were extremely determined as well.

“It was a relief not to have the pressure of an overtime period; to end the game there was the best way it could happen.”