MS Girls' Soccer B-team falls to Ensworth in PKs

Not a soul watching could keep from clinging tightly to their seat as the USN girls battled fiercely to come back from being down one goal to none late in the second half.  It truly was a game for the ages.

Maggie Milam, Carson Thomas, Maggie Young, and Meredith Hill anchored the USN deffense, giving up one first half goal but keeping Ensworth away from the net the entire second half.  Early on USN would struggle to find their defensive shape, allowing Ensworth to stay on the offensive for much of the first half.  According to coach Cyrus Eaton, “Many of the girls were asked to play a new position for the first time, and even though it took most of the first half to understand their new roles, the girls adapted well.”  With their speed, the Ensworth forwards tried to take advantage of the new defensive line and came out hard, really testing USN goalkeeper Mikaela Rabb who responded with save after save.  Still, it was midway through the first half when Ensworth found the back of the net.

To start the second half the USN girls pushed the ball forward, keeping Ensworth on their heels for the first bit of play.  Forwards Kaitlyn Rabb, Anna Hinman, Gracie Hoffman and Elise Blackburn all played valuable minutes and helped provide USN with fresh legs up front.  Midfielders Hannah Roth, Kate Tanner, Adelaide Owens, Yuval Crouvi, and Bailey Hudson all worked to keep the ball in Ensworth’s half, challenging their defense to make multiple saves in front of the goal.  The midfielders were fantastic in keeping possession allowing the USN offense to regroup when the ball would be cleared.

With seconds left, USN was awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area.  The score was still 1-0 in Ensworth’s favor, yet USN still had time for one more shot.  Defender Maggie Milam moved forward to take the free kick while the rest of her teammates crowded the box.  Against what appeared to be a 10 man wall, Milam placed her free kick over the wall of defenders and just out of reach for the Ensworth goalkeeper, finding the back of the net seconds before the officials blew the final whistle.

Still the game was not over. Due to the little amount of daylight left, the teams immediately proceeded into a penalty kick shootout.  The first five players from each team had the opportunity to shoot on the opposing teams goalkeeper, the team with the most goals would win.  Even with a great save by Mikaela Rabb, the USN girls fell to Ensworth 3-2, with Hannah Roth and Adelaide Owens scoring both their penalty kicks.

After the game coach Cyrus Eaton said he was proud of his players for playing so hard and fighting to the last second to stay in the game.  The effort that the girls put forth throughout the season was more than he could have asked for and their progress was evident in their last few games.  With this last game being one of the most exciting games he had claimed to have ever been a part of.