Greenville, S.C. -- The 12th-ranked Washington Huskies converted on their final six chances in a nine-round penalty shootout to advance past Furman, 6-5, in second round NCAA Tournament action on Sunday night in Seattle, Washington, following a 0-0 draw.

Washington (12-5-2), the tournament's No. 14 seed, will travel to face No. 3 seed Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., in third round action next Sunday.  The Southern Conference champion Paladins finished their season at 12-5-5.

"We are proud of our team and especially our seniors," said Furman coach Doug Allison, who led the Paladins to the NCAA postseason for the seventh time.  "We didn't lose, but drew tonight.  To be one penalty kick away from the Sweet Sixteen is quite an accomplishment.  I'm proud to be the coach of this team and they earned all the success they got."

After grinding out a scoreless draw with the nationally-ranked Huskies over 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, the Paladins looked to advance through the penalty shootout as they had done on Thursday night at UAB in the opening round of the tournament.  The shootout started well for the Paladins and goalkeeper Sven Lissek, who notched his SoCon single season record 12th shutout, as the Sewau, Germany, native saved the Huskies' first attempt before senior Clint Ritter buried his effort in the right corner.

Washington's next attempt hit the post before a Furman miss, but Lissek picked his team up by diving to his right to stop Mason Robertson's shot to start the third round.  Tony Santibanez's kick banged off of the left post to leave Furman up 1-0 through three rounds.  Both teams converted  in round four to give Furman a 2-1 lead entering the fifth round.  James Moberg scored for Washington to keep the Huskies alive and UW goalkeeper Spencer Richey stopped Marco Ortiz's shot to right side to even the shootout at 2-2 through five rounds.

The Huskies and Paladins each made their next three kicks to send the shootout to round nine.  Beau Blanchard again put Washington on top and Richey sent the Huskies to the third round of the tournament by stopping Brendan Richardson's low shot to the left.

Furman was forced to defend for much of the first half with Washington compiling a 10-2 edge in shots, but Lissek made several key saves to keep the match scoreless at the break.  In the second half, Furman began to gain more possession although the Huskies continued to hold the Paladins without many chances at goal.

The Paladins went on the offensive in the opening overtime period with a pair of shots that missed high, and Furman held Washington in the second 10-minute period to send the match to a shootout.

The Huskies finished with a 24-10 advantage in shot attempts and 7-1 edge in shots on goal in a game that was played on a wet and muddy Husky Soccer Stadium surface.

Furman finished the season unbeaten in its final five matches and 7-1-2 in its last 10 contests.

"I'm proud to work alongside this special group of young men," said Allison.  "In my 20 years, I've come to realize when we have a special group and this is one.  This was a roller coaster season for us and I am proud of the grit, strength and professionalism they have shown.  We also thank our families and fans for the great support along the way."

Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information