The Creighton women’s soccer team advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship game, eliminating No. 2 seed Missouri State 2-1 in overtime as Laura Nasseri shocked the Bears with the game-winning goal in the 98th minute in front of 572 at Morrison Stadium.

The Jays’ 1-0 halftime lead faced heavy pressure from Missouri State from the midway point on, with Jenna Dobkins knotting the game at 1-1 with just 7:08 remaining in regulation and almost netting another with 2:05 remaining.

The Bluejays will face No. 1 seed Illinois State for the Valley title and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament at 1:07 p.m. on Sunday at Morrison Stadium. Illinois State defeated Drake 1-0 in the earlier game.

Creighton coach Bruce Erickson said the game was a tale of two halves.

“I’m equal parts relieved and excited,” Erickson said. “I felt like maybe we were better in the first half, and we score a goal. They were clearly better in the second half. They score a goal.”

Nasseri’s game-winner was from 15 yards in front of the goal and came off a perfect pass from freshman Brittney Neumann on the right wing.

“Since it was overtime, everybody was just working their behinds off,” Nasseri said. “I just tried to crash the goal, and my teammate Britt made a beautiful pass. I just closed my eyes and hit it.”

Missouri State tied the game in the 83rd minute when Samantha Aguilar drilled a shot from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar and dropped in front of the goal line and behind the Jays’ Alicia Montgomery. Dobkins pounced on the rebound and made it 1-1 on an easy tap-in for her fourth goal of the season.

The goal was the Bears’ first against Creighton in Omaha in more than nine years in a span that stretched more than six games.

Dobkins almost had her second goal of the game and the possible game-winner with just 2:05 remaining as she beat a leaping Montgomery with a header, but the ball trickled just wide of the left goal post.

“I was like, you gotta crash the goal. I just went up for it and got a head on it. Unfortunately it wasn’t to the right a little more, or else it would have gone in,” Dobkins said.

Creighton opened the scoring in the 17th minute after senior midfielder Mary Zapapas stripped a Missouri State defender of the ball on the Bears’ side of the field. Zapapas drove the down the middle of the field and fed the ball to sophomore Beth Fyles, who was streaking down the right wing. Fyles then drove the ball past goalkeeper Jessica Teahan into the left corner of the goal to give the Jays a 1-0 lead.

Creighton (13-5-2)..............1 0 1—2

Missouri St. (9-6-3).....................0 1 0—1

Scoring: CU, Fyles (Zapapas), 16:52. MS, Dobkins (Aguilar), 82:52. CU, Nasseri (Neumann, Gunther), 97:30. Shots: MS 18, CU 11. Saves: MS, Teahan 5, CU, Montgomery 8. Fouls: MS 6, CU 8.