Holy Names falls in overtime
Red card leaves team one player short for extra time in tough loss
Saturday’s Class B girls’ soccer regional game figured to be evenly matched as Holy Names entered with a 19-1 record and Holland Patent was 19-1-1.
It was evenly matched statistically in terms of shots, saves, corner kicks and goals. But when it came to yellow and red cards, it wasn’t and it may have contributed to Holland Patent beating Holy Names 3-2 in the third overtime.
“We had two yellow cards all year and (today) we get six and a red card. Pathetic,” Holy Names coach Chukwuma Asala said afterward. “They (Holland Patent) are a good team, but the officiating ... it’s pathetic Section (III) couldn’t get better referees.”
Mayle Lupia-eannace’s unassisted goal just 1:16 into the third overtime wound up being the difference. The senior defender set up her first OT goal of the year by dribbling around three defenders near midfield before setting up a 25-yard shot from the middle. Holy Names keeper Kathleen Harris had no chance on the play.
“(Lupia-eannace) comes up from the back sometimes for us,” Golden Knights coach Josh Olney said of the winning goal by one of his two senior starters.
Both teams finished with 11 shots on goal. Harris made seven saves, while Holland Patent keeper Haedyn Roberts made nine. Holland Patent had an edge in corners 3-2, the most important leading to a penalty kick that made it 2-2 with 17:52 left in regulation.
Alexis Johnson’s corner kick was like a pinball in the box for a few seconds, and it led to a handball. Holland Patent sweeper Sara Rachon converted the kick.
That gave Holland Patent the momentum against the slightly favored Section II champs, then a questionable red card on Annastashia Dornburgh with six seconds left in regulation gave the local team even more.
“It was catty at times on both sides,” Olney said. “I told my girls to just play our game.”
Holland Patent, a scrappy, balanced and physical team with no superstars, did just that in the first two overtime sessions. After withstanding a good scoring chance by Holy Names’ Megan Marini in the opening minutes of the first overtime, they settled into strong defensive play, then had a few more shots in the second overtime.
The game, played in onand-off rain on a cold night at Vernon-verona-sherrill’s new artificial turf field, started well for Holy Names. Freshman Riley Taylor scored in the 35th minute on a play Ava Panto set up. The star forward crossed the ball from the right to Elizabeth Harris who touched it to Taylor for the goal that made it 1-0 with 5:51 left in the first half. It stayed that way until a missed clear by the Holy Names defense let Holland Patent’s Alexis Johnson score from close range in the 54th minute.
Megan Marini set up Panto for a great goal just a minute later for a 2-1 lead and things looked even better when Panto had a near breakaway less than a minute after that. Roberts beat her to the ball to keep it a one-goal game and that set up the dramatic goals at the end that ruined Holy Names’ dream of a state title.
“There’s not much (else) to say,” Asala summarized. “But I’m proud of my girls.”