As Bailey Brandon walked up to the ball as the fifth shooter for CMU, she had the chance to get her team into the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.

The MAC Freshman of the Year took advantage of the opportunity, advancing CMU 4-2 on penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation and two overtimes against Toledo Friday at CMU Soccer Complex.

“Immediately I fell to the ground and laid on my back,” said sophomore Liesel Toth. “I took a sigh of relief. It was such a blessing to win that.”

Central Michigan will take on Miami, who upset second seed Eastern Michigan 2-1 on Friday. The teams will play at 1 p.m. Sunday at the CMU Soccer Complex.

In goal during the shootout for the Chippewas was senior Kristen Hubright, who only rejoined the team when freshman Stephanie Turner was injured earlier in the season.

Hubright’s big moment came with CMU ahead 2-1 in penalty kicks, and she dove to her right and knocked away Toledo’s third kicker Kristen Lynn’s shot.

“It was a sigh of relief because hopefully it would take off the pressure from the girls who are shooting,” she said. “At the same time, I was really hoping I was going to be able to save the next one to end it there.”

However, the one save was all CMU needed, as its kickers did the rest.

Although coach Tom Anagnost did take out Shay Mannino, who the night before was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year, he along with his team had confidence in Hubright’s abilities, especially in shutouts.

“Kristen Hubright is extremely talented at reactionary shots,” he said. “She’s the most talented goalie I’ve ever coached in that regards so it wasn’t an off the wall decision there.”

Although CMU did get the win, the team was frustrated with its inability to finish its chances in regulation.

CMU has now scored only six goals in its last eight games.

“We have to do better in the attacking third especially with the ball,” Anagnost said. “There were sometimes where our first touch wasn’t there, and we had some services go where they were not suppose to, we just have to finish the ball when its there.”

Although Central did not get the goal it was looking for, the team did feel it got off to a fast start, a problem that has plague Central throughout the season.

“Today we came out and we put Toledo on their heels, but if we do that, we have to put the ball in the back of the net,” Toth said.

Senior Stephanie Martin said it is those chances that Central gets that it will need to take advantage of in the finals against Miami.

“I think we’re creating chances, we’re just not finishing them,” she said. “If our offense can get clicking and our offense can get clicking then we will be all set.”

E-mail the author: Matthew Valinski