By Jeff Vella

Staff Writer

ONEONTA — The nature of soccer

Star photo by Anita Briggs O-State’s Leslie Small tries to bring a ball down in front of Tufts’ Annie Benedict during the first half of Sunday’s NCAA Tournament quarterfinal.

shootouts is that the better team doesn’t always advance.

That might have been the case Sunday, as Oneonta State’s season ended with a penalty-kick loss to Tufts University in an NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinal in front of 390 fans at Red Dragon Field.

The teams tied, 1-1, after regulation and two, 10-minute overtimes before the Jumbos won the shootout, 4-3. Tufts goalie Annie Ross made a lunging save to her left on Sarah Tauber’s pk to clinch it.

"We should have finished it in the second half," said Red Dragons coach Tracey Ranieri, whose team rallied to tie the sc[an error occurred while processing this directive]