BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Round two of the heavyweights in the Gulf South Conference was as close as possible in the Tournament Championship match Sunday.

No. 6 West Florida (17-2-1, 7-0-0 GSC) claimed its third straight GSC Championship after advancing in penalty kicks past North Alabama in the Gulf South Conference Championship match at Brosnaham Park Sunday, 2-2 (5-4). After nine rounds, UWF freshman Alexis Pugh drove the ball inside the left post to send the Argonauts to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic berth. The contest was the first-ever GSC Tournament match to be decided by penalty kicks and only the third double overtime match. Trailing 1-2 with 33 seconds left, the Lions (16-3-1, 6-1-0) went to their top performer, Chloe Roberts, and the 2009 Player of the Year blasted the game-tying goal past UWF keeper Ali Ryan. The result of a tie helped UNA in the Region rankings as the Lions moved from ninth to the No. 6 seed in the NCAA South Region. North Alabama plays No. 3 seed Tampa in Pensacola, Fla. Friday at 5 pm. The second-seeded Argonauts await the winner in Sunday’s Second Round contest at 12:30 pm at the UWF Soccer Complex.