If the Rogersville Lady Wildcats (9-15) and MV-BT/Liberty Lady Eagles (9-8) were aiming to see just how dramatic they could make two and a half hours of postseason soccer on Wednesday, it's safe to say they exceeded expectations.
Despite giving up a two-goal lead in the second half, Rogersville managed to battle through a pair of grueling overtime periods and ultimately prevail in the PK round to seize a thrilling 4-3 victory, and with it, a C2 – D10 district championship.
“I love this team,” Rogersville head coach Brett Wubbena said shortly after being doused with ice water from his squad. “We've been working hard and we played tonight. That was nice to see.”
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Led by a pair of first-half scores by freshman sensation Taylor Overstreet, the Lady Wildcats appeared to be in control at the end of the first 40 minutes as they boasted a 3-1 lead on their home pitch.
However, as the early moments of the second period progressed, Wubbena noticed the atmosphere take on a different tone – one that started to favor the Lady Eagles.
Liberty, emanating an aura of determination rather than desperation, cut its deficit to 3-2 with 25:53 to play in regulation as senior forward Taylor Pulliam knocked in a penalty kick that resulted from a Rogersville foul.
“Momentum is a huge push,” Wubbena said. “I think there was something that happened at some point in the second half and the momentum just kind of swung. We kind of got on our heels and got a little tired at that time.”
With Liberty continuing to dominate on the offensive front as time continued to tick down, the Lady Eagles broke through again at the 13:10 mark on a goal by freshman Amanda Mantel – tying the game and forcing an extra session after a scoreless stalemate the rest of the way.
“They could have just given up in the first half when they were down 3-1 and they didn't,” Liberty head coach Joey Spittler said about his team's comeback effort. “They kept fighting and they got right back in the game. As a coach, that's as proud as I've been.”
With both teams failing to create any serious threats through either of the overtime periods, the stage was set for a hero to be born as the penalty kick round commenced.
Four shots through the round, Rogersville found itself with a 3-2 advantage after Lady Wildcats goalkeeper Hannah Hendrickson made key back-to-back stops on attempted shots by Morgan Wilson and Angelina Herrold, respectively – meaning that a score by Rogersville's next girl up would secure the dramatic win.
That honor went to senior defender Allison Pell, who rocked the ball over the head of keeper Jaci Mantel and into the net to send her entire team into a complete state of elation.
“We practice PKs a lot and it was just about placement,” Pell said about her game-winner. “Before I kicked it, I kind of knew where it was going.”
The win came against a Liberty team that ended Rogersville's season in the same game last year. With the Lady Wildcats coming into the match sporting just eight wins against 15 losses, not many saw revenge as a distinct possibility.
“With our record, we were just playing for this game,” Pell added. “It just shows if you put in the hard work, you're going to get it.”
Rogersville now looks to the sectional round where it will face the Bolivar Lady Liberators on Saturday.
