Harwood was 71 seconds away from ending a 15-year title drought Friday night when dreams of that storybook end to the season were dashed by an equalizing goal from Rice.
Then the Division II girls’ soccer championship took another twist for the Highlanders when they celebrated for nearly a minute after an apparent game-winner in the second overtime period – only to find out that the scorer was offside.
With 1:49 remaining before a potential penalty-kick shootout, Rice’s Reese Billings found a second wind up the right flank and closed out her four-year varsity career with a golden goal for a 2-1 victory.
Even though Rice outshot Harwood throughout regulation, the Green Knights had every reason to shift into panic mode after the Highlanders pulled ahead in the 77th minute. After Sarah Guidice netted the equalizer with 1:11 on the clock, Rice’s players were devastated again when Harwood erupted into celebration mode after a follow-up shot in the 100th minute found the back of the net.
Celebration was cut short when the head official eventually saw that a sideline referee was holding his flag in the air for an offside violation that negated the goal. And once play resumed, Billings took matters into her own hands during the waning minutes of double overtime by rocketing a long-distance shot off the bottom of the crossbar to give her team its third championship in five seasons.
Rice snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak by Harwood, which hadn’t lost to a D-II team all season before the final. The Green Knights didn’t lose to a D-II opponent this fall and closed out the year with a seven-game undefeated streak.
Harwood keeper Tara Nagel (11 saves) started preseason with Rice before switching to join the Highlanders. Nagel split time in goal for the majority of the season before assuming full-time duties September 29. And even though the Highlanders only allowed three goals over their final 926 minutes of the season, they still somehow walked away without the top prize.
“I’m really grateful (for Nagel) as a goalkeeping coach,” Harwood coach Lynn Sobczyk said. “I thought I was down pretty bad with a goalkeeper when Anna (Brundage) graduated. And when I heard (Nagel) was coming to try out from Rice, I was so excited. ...She’s got so much heart and she drives this team. And she’s just an incredible human.”
Defenders Adeline Lazorchek, Adelaide Sullivan, Bridan Merrill, and Sophia DeSanto helped Harwood pitch 11 shutouts this season and are all poised to return next year along with Nagel. And during Friday’s match Sobczyk relied on junior Marley McVeigh to guard Billings as a left fullback while moving sophomore Adelaide Chalmers into more of an offensive role.
Harwood came alive offensively in a hurry midway through the second half when an unselfish pass by Brauer set up Gia Gendiminico for a first-time shot that was a bit too high. The Highlanders survived a scary moment defensively in the 64th minute when Nagel punched away an initial shot and then scrambled to retrieve the loose ball near the penalty stripe before a Rice player could clean up the rebound.
Harwood will graduate Olney and Roahna Chalmers, but a huge crew of 10 sophomores is likely to keep the Highlanders in the title conversation for the upcoming two seasons.
“We were on the field and we thought we won,” Sobczyk said. “And that leaves people hungry for next year. ...People doubted us all year. And you can doubt us, but we’re going to be there. And it doesn’t matter at the end of the day because those kids have so much heart and they’re so athletic and they’re so talented. It’s a special crew down at Harwood.”
Reprinted courtesy of Times Argus.
You might also like
