How they got here: Tacoma Defiance survive and advance to Play-In showdown

It all came down to a Decision Day thriller. 

Needing help elsewhere and a shootout win to extend their season, the Tacoma Defiance got their reward.

Finishing ninth in the Western Conference on an 11W-12L-5T (3 SOW) season, they qualified for this year's Playoff Play-In round and head to San Jose Earthquakes II for another chance to keep their season alive (8 PM ET | MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball).

Season series

The Defiance hold the edge over Quakes II with a 4-1 shootout win in May, and 1-0 and 2-1 road wins in June and September, respectively.

Player spotlight

Striker Mark Bronnik has been led the line all year, amassing 13g/4a. 

In the helper department, wingback Charlie Gaffney provided a club-record assists in the regular season.

Newcomer midfielder Rafael Jauregui has put together successful debut campaign, posting 2g/6a, which is good for third in overall production for the Defiance.

Road from here

Sunday's winner will have to wait for Western Conference quarterfinal action to play out Oct. 16-18 and will be subject to the highest remaining seed's pick-your-opponent selection.