Lady Jackets outlast rival Sonoraville in penalty kicks
Calhoun moves atop Region 6-AAA standings with hard-fought win
The intensity was cranked up to a tremendous level on Thursday as Calhoun and Sonoraville met not only with bragging rights on the line but even bigger, a possible region title. And the action on the field didn’t disappoint.
The teams battled back and forth for the duration of the match, neither giving an inch, and after no one scored in the 80 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime, the contest was decided in a penalty-kick shootout. Calhoun came through in the clutch by nailing 4-of-4 from the penalty spot to earn the victory as Sonoraville went 3-for-5.
The win puts Calhoun (9-3, 7-0) atop the Region 6-AAA standings and needing to win one of their last two games to earn the region title, while Sonoraville (13-3, 8-1) wrapped up region play with the loss and need some help (Calhoun losing their final two region games) to take the title.
Calhoun coach Randy Rice said he was very pleased with the way his team stuck with it and was able to earn the win in a very tough match.
“I’m totally excited and proud of my girls to come out on top,” said Rice. “Sonoraville played one heck of a game, and both teams battled the entire way. It seems like we do this every time we play each other. We have each other’s number and always seem to be evenly- matched. For us to win in PK’s, we’re blessed. I told the girls the last few days that we needed to be ready for a long, hard game. We ran extra to get used to the heat, and I thought we could impose our will in the second half with our speed. I think we did that and Sonoraville had to adjust to the way we play, but we still had to come through in penalty kicks.
“We’re still a little banged up late in the season, but I think we’re starting to come together.”
Converting on penalty kicks for the Lady Jackets were Katie Macario, Halle Rhodes, Carter Baggett and Leah Prather. Goalkeeper Mia Smith didn’t have to make a save as the two unsuccessful attempts by Sonoraville sailed high and wide, but the freshmen made plenty of great saves and plays to turn the Lady Phoenix away from scoring opportunities in regulation and overtime just to get to that point.
Sonoraville’s converted penalty kicks came from Avery Hamilton, Averi Walraven and Anissa Hales. Sonoraville’s goalkeeper Sidney Stone also had an impressive game with several saves, including a deflection in the final minute of regulation on a Calhoun breakaway that could’ve decided the game.
The Lady Phoenix controlled much of the possession in the first half and had some solid scoring chances that just weren’t to be, including a Bailey Brewer shot off a cross by Hamilton that was saved, a Deya Irick shot that was saved and a Walraven free kick that passed just in front of the goal.
Calhoun came out in the second half and attacked more, but much like Sonoraville in the first half, their scoring chances couldn’t find the back of the net either. Prather had a free kick that was saved shortly into the second half, Emily Sorrow’s shot from inside the box in the 74th minute was saved by Stone and Mari Morales created several chances with her speed but the Lady Phoenix defense and Stone rose to the challenge each time.
The two teams kept the score at 0-0 after two five- minute overtime sessions with both having scoring opportunities turned away to set up the do-or-die penalty-kick shootout.
Calhoun will look to clinch the region title in the final week of the regular season with two region games on the schedule. They visited Coahulla Creek on Tuesday. (For details on that game, see Saturday’s Calhoun Times.) They close out region play on Thursday at home against Adairsville at 5:30 p.m.
“We have two region matches left, and we’ve got to win one of them,” said Rice.