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Girls Soccer: Dublin Coffman 1, Pickerington North 0 (PK)
Nov 05, 2009
By AARON BLANKENSHIP
ThisWeek Staff Writer
Sophomore goalie Jessie George hasn't started a game for the Dublin Coffman High School girls soccer team since Sept. 7, and she has played sparingly over the past two months.
Thus, George was shocked when goalie coach Mindy Hammond asked her if she wanted to play once Wednesday's Division I regional semifinal at Upper Arlington between Coffman and Pickerington North reached a shootout.
"When Mindy asked me if I was mentally prepared to do a shootout, I couldn't believe it was happening," George said. "I changed into my gear and started warming up five minutes before the shootout, and when I ran out there, my legs felt like jello and I thought I was going to throw up. When I looked back at my teammates some of them were crying. There was so much pressure."
But George didn't wilt under the pressure, as she made a key save as the Shamrocks won the shootout 4-2 to post a 1-0 victory.
Coffman improved to 12-5-3 and advanced to play Upper Arlington in the regional final Saturday at Dublin Scioto, while North finished 15-3-2.
"We practice penalty kicks every day and our goalkeeper coach felt like Jessie was a little more accustomed to them, so we switched from Cassie (Lawrence) to Jessie, and Cassie did a great job," coach Marc D'Auteuil said. "I hate shootouts, and I feel bad for North that they had to lose that way. Unfortunately, we don't have a better way to determine games in soccer. But we shut them out through regulation and two overtimes, so I'll take it."
Ali Prestifilippo missed North's first shootout attempt, as the ball bounced off the right post.
George then made a diving save to her right side on a shot by Morgan Hendrickson on the Panthers' second attempt.
Amber Kern, Jill Allen and Kenzie Schlemitz scored on Coffman's first three attempts and freshman Bailey Wilson beat goalkeeper Allyson Baldwin on Coffman's fourth attempt to end the game.
"I was crying before I had to shoot because it was such a big deal," Wilson said. "I tried to read the goalie and picked a spot, and I was able to hit it."
The Panthers missed a couple of scoring chances in the first half, as Shelby Olszewski hit the crossbar and Lawrence had to make a leaping save just under the crossbar on a shot by Hendrickson.
But Lawrence had to make only two saves during regulation and none during either of the two 15-minute overtime periods, as the game went scoreless through 110 minutes of play.
"It was a good hard-fought battle between both teams," North coach Greg Van Kannel said. "I guess luck wasn't with us. They are a great defensive team. We tried different combinations up front, but they kept stopping it. It's not fun to go out like that (in a shootout). It's just the way it goes sometimes."
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