LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- With junior goalkeeper Brian Kasting making three key saves during a penalty-kick shootout, Sangamon State University upset UCLA 2-1 Friday night in the semifinals of the World Collegiate Soccer Championships at New Mexico State's Aggie Stadium.

The victory sent the NAIA national champion Prairie Stars into Sunday afternoon's 3:15 championship match. SSU will face the University College of Dublin, Ireland. UCLA will play Veracruzana of Mexico at 1 p.m. for third place.

THE STARS AND the Bruins were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Chris Owsley's goal with about 9 minutes left in regulation knotted the score after UCLA had taken a 1-0 lead early in the first half.

Neither team scored in the two mandatory 5-minute overtime periods. That forced a penalty-kick shootout, with each team receiving five kicks.

SSU won the coin toss, which meant it had to take the first shot. The Stars' Mark Moser shot wide right, followed by a successful score by UCLA freshman Lucas Martin.

Owsley then shot one over the crossbar, putting UCLA in good position. But Kasting came up with his first diving save against the Bruins' Peter Pelle. SSU then connected on its next three against UCLA freshman goalie Anton Nistl. The goals were scored, in order, by Marty Pike, Jim King and Bill Becher, with Becher's proving to be the clincher.

Kasting, meanwhile, made two more saves against the Bruins' Ray Fernandez and Hubert Rotteveel. Becher's goal proved to be the clincher.

"Kasting made three diving, acrobatic saves in the shootout," said John Polis, the tournament's public relations director. "On penalty kicks, the goalie can't move until the ball is kicked, so he was outstanding."

The Bruins, one of the top NCAA Division I teams in the nation, scored the only goal of the first half at 10 minutes 20 seconds into the game as freshman forward Billy Thompson deflected a shot past SSU goalie Brian Kasting. The initial shot was taken by UCLA's Hubert Rotteveel.

The game evolved into a defensive struggle until the Prairie Stars finally broke through 81:15 into the match. Following a corner kick by Pike, the ball was deflected out of the penalty area. Owsley got it and drilled it past Nistl from about 15 yards out.

"That was the best goal of the night," Polis said of Owsley's score. "He just drilled it into the back of the net. Their goalie didn't even move."

Neither team scored the remaining 8:45 of regulation.

Each team registered five shots on goal prior to the shootout.