MILLBURY — Lake’s Flyers didn’t allow the disappointment of a last-minute opposition goal deter them
Saturday afternoon in the Division II girls district soccer championship.
The Flyers had taken a 1-0 lead over Wauseon with 11 minutes remaining in regulation only to have the
Indians take advantage of a defensive lapse to tie the game with 2:24 remaining.
After two scoreless 15-minute sessions of overtime, the Flyers prevailed in penalty kicks 4-2 to advance
to the regional for the second straight season. The Flyers, now 18-1-1, play Wednesday at a site and
against an opponent to be determined. Wauseon had defeated Lake, 2-0 in the regular season.
“We were pretty confident through the whole thing because I think we controlled most of the game,” said
Lake head coach Steve Hoffman.
Junior Drew Plummer, the 2008 Suburban Lakes League player of the year, said this time around was more
exciting than last season.
“We were at the same point as last year and we conquered it and we took it,” Plummer said.
After several good opportunities by both teams, Lake finally broke through off a corner kick by Hannah
Cox. Freshman Shelby Antonacci, the player of the year in the SLL this season, got a head on the ball,
but Wauseon goalkeeper Megan Fields was there to make the save. However, the ball bounced off Field’s
chest right back to Antonacci, who put the rebound into the open net.
Wauseon’s Janelle Shaw used her speed to get past a Lake defender on what started as a seemingly harmless
play. Shaw was then able to put the ball in front of the goal and Miranda Wills scored into the open net
after making her run to the back post.
“We got a little ahead of ourselves,” said Plummer. “But we didn’t lose confidence.”
“I thought we were home free. We had a little mental block there for a second and it cost us,” Hoffman
said.
Each team had a good opportunity in the first overtime with Plummer pushing a ball wide right with just
over nine minutes remaining. Then with just over two minutes left, Shaw got through the middle of the
Lake defense to get a shot, but freshman goalkeeper Ashley Timmons was there to make one of her 14 saves
in the game.
In the penalty kick phase, Wauseon went first, but the Indians’ first shot was high and Timmons saved the
second shot. Meanwhile sophomore Lindsay Hoffman and Plummer both converted their chances to help calm
the Flyers’ nerves.
“We were kind of nervous at first,” Plummer said. “But our freshman goalie did a really good job.”
Wauseon scored on their third and fourth chances, but Lake didn’t miss as Antonacci scored on the Flyers’
third shot and then Cox, a sophomore, ended it on Lake’s fourth opportunity.
“For the last three weeks (of practice) we do PKs for the last 20 minutes every day,” coach Hoffman said.
“When it comes to our kickers we are pretty confident and when it comes to our goalie, even though she’s
a freshman, she’s probably the best in Northwest Ohio.
“We had little No. 12 go first (Lindsay Hoffman) and my daughter or not, I know she’s our best PKer,” the
coach continued. “I told the girls ..
if she buries the first one that’s the important one and that takes the pressure off each one of you as
we go.”