Wellington falls in extra-time heartbreaker

Locked in extra time Oct. 18 at Wickliffe amid a Division III sectional final, Wellington players used the John Denver refrain, “Country roads, take me home,” out loud.

The road nearly took the Dukes home a winner – and with their second-half offensive-third display, it may have been the place they belonged.

Unfortunately for them, in a heartbreaker, the roads took them off into the quiet night instead.

Joelle Banks’ strike with 1 minute, 40 seconds left in extra time gave the Blue Devils a 4-3 win.

Wellington (11-7) battled back valiantly from a 3-1 halftime deficit to force extra time. And with no seniors in the starting 11 or on the roster, Dukes coach Jason Gundert could not have been more proud of his side.

“They never gave up the whole day,” Gundert said. “They fought the whole day. They got down, 3-1, at half, and I told them at half, I said, ‘It’s anyone’s game.’ They came out, and they proved it.

“They’re a young team. We have no seniors. Everyone is coming back next year. They left it all out there, I can tell you that.”

Down, 3-1, approaching the hour mark, Wellington

showed promise with combination play, maximizing overlaps and switches effectively and jumping on a set piece for a lifeline.

In the 57th minute, Lauren Alley chipped a free kick in, and Amanda Spiekerman slotted a rebound far post to make it a 3-2 match.

Then in the 60th, Grace Dudziak delivered a quality near post finish, bringing the Dukes back from the brink to make it a 3-3 match.

Wellington was not lacking in attacking quality in the match, with 12 shots on target, and was turned away twice in extra time before Banks’ match-winner.

“We’ve worked on that all year, playing it outside and then bringing it back in,” Gundert said. “They play that ball really well.”

The country roads may not have taken the Dukes home a winner on this cold fall evening. But a steady display against a Wickliffe side that has hung with two-time D-III state final four side Kirtland in a district semifinal a year ago and a 3-2 regular-season loss this fall will provide a nice building block as the entire side returns in 2019.

“Yeah, I am looking forward to it,” Gundert said. “It’s going to be a great year.”