July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Ousted in overtime (10/12/07)
JCHS girls soccer
Ousted in overtime (10/12/07)
By By RAY COONEY-
MARION - They had half as many wins, and three times as many losses. But the long odds didn't stop the Patriots from turning in one of their best efforts of the year.
Through regulation Jay County High School's girls soccer team battled Marion to a 1-1 tie. But in the second of the two seven-minute halves of overtime the host Giants cashed in, ending the Patriots' season with a 2-1 defeat.
"The girls played very well tonight," said JCHS coach Sue Rager. "They finally have come together ... this is what it was for. ... They were the favorite and we were the underdog and we played the best we could.
"They finally found the ... Jay County spirit. They knew that this was it and they gave it their all, from the seniors down to the freshman. They really did a nice job together."
Marion (13-2-2) scored the first goal of the game early in the second half, but held the lead for less than seven minutes. The score remained tied through the remaining 27 minutes of regulation and the first seven-minute overtime half.
Had the teams played seven more scoreless minutes the result would have been a 5-on-5 shootout, but Ellen Callecod erased that possibility.
Two minutes into the second overtime half the Giants were awarded a free kick deep in JCHS territory on the right side after the Patriots were called for a foul. Alex Lester sent the kick toward the goal, where three Marion players and several Jay County defenders, including goalie Abby Loy, converged.
As Callecod redirected the ball toward the net, Loy tried to dive and corral it. But it scooted across the line to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.
Marion held the Patriots (6-7-2) scoreless for the remaining five minutes to advance to Saturday's sectional championship match.
"I believe the girls just believed in themselves," said Marion coach Idowu Ikudabo. "They don't like to give up. They realize they have to really step up and play our game as we want to play."
The Giants advance to play Oak Hill (14-0-2), which won a shootout 3-2 in Thursday's first semifinal game to defeat Norwell 2-1. Marion and Oak HIll played to a scoreless tie during the regular season.
"This is my belief. If you show up to play, you win," said Ikudabo. "If you don't show up to play, you go home."
After struggling at times during the regular season, Jay County most certainly showed up to play in the tournament. The Patriots knocked out Eastern 1-0 in Tuesday's opening round before pushing defending champion Marion to the brink.
Rachel Conrad of the Giants ended more than 45 scoreless minutes of soccer Thursday, capitalizing on a centering pass from Jackie Roorbach. The ball bounced around for a while without getting cleared, allowing Conrad to knock it past Loy, who finished with 11 saves, and give Marion a 1-0 lead.
"The defense, they were doing the best job they could," said Rager of both Marion goals. "They just got bunched in there together and the ball just popped out and they were able to capitalize on a messy situation."
But Jay County refused to stay on the short end of the score for long as Kaelee Keller and Brianne Wellman worked the ball on the left side before Wellman sent it across the field. Senior Dana Horn was ready near the right post, sending a shot back to the left corer to tie the game with 27:26 remaining.
The Patriots had a couple of good opportunities in the final seven minutes of regulation but could not capitalize, and Marion took the game in overtime.
The Giants took 13 shots on goal for the game compared to 11 for Jay County. Tequila Guntle had four shots for the Patriots, Wellman took three and Horn, Keller and Cassandra Huelskamp each had one.
Huelskamp, who played most of the evening on the defensive end, drew accolades for her effort in the final game of her career.
"Cassandra did an excellent job out there tonight," said Rager. "She really stepped it up a notch. I knew that she was capable of playing the way she played tonight. ... Tequila, Dana, Abby, all my seniors, they all played really well tonight.
"And, it's not just the seniors, but everybody. I'm really proud that I'm their coach."[[In-content Ad]]
Through regulation Jay County High School's girls soccer team battled Marion to a 1-1 tie. But in the second of the two seven-minute halves of overtime the host Giants cashed in, ending the Patriots' season with a 2-1 defeat.
"The girls played very well tonight," said JCHS coach Sue Rager. "They finally have come together ... this is what it was for. ... They were the favorite and we were the underdog and we played the best we could.
"They finally found the ... Jay County spirit. They knew that this was it and they gave it their all, from the seniors down to the freshman. They really did a nice job together."
Marion (13-2-2) scored the first goal of the game early in the second half, but held the lead for less than seven minutes. The score remained tied through the remaining 27 minutes of regulation and the first seven-minute overtime half.
Had the teams played seven more scoreless minutes the result would have been a 5-on-5 shootout, but Ellen Callecod erased that possibility.
Two minutes into the second overtime half the Giants were awarded a free kick deep in JCHS territory on the right side after the Patriots were called for a foul. Alex Lester sent the kick toward the goal, where three Marion players and several Jay County defenders, including goalie Abby Loy, converged.
As Callecod redirected the ball toward the net, Loy tried to dive and corral it. But it scooted across the line to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.
Marion held the Patriots (6-7-2) scoreless for the remaining five minutes to advance to Saturday's sectional championship match.
"I believe the girls just believed in themselves," said Marion coach Idowu Ikudabo. "They don't like to give up. They realize they have to really step up and play our game as we want to play."
The Giants advance to play Oak Hill (14-0-2), which won a shootout 3-2 in Thursday's first semifinal game to defeat Norwell 2-1. Marion and Oak HIll played to a scoreless tie during the regular season.
"This is my belief. If you show up to play, you win," said Ikudabo. "If you don't show up to play, you go home."
After struggling at times during the regular season, Jay County most certainly showed up to play in the tournament. The Patriots knocked out Eastern 1-0 in Tuesday's opening round before pushing defending champion Marion to the brink.
Rachel Conrad of the Giants ended more than 45 scoreless minutes of soccer Thursday, capitalizing on a centering pass from Jackie Roorbach. The ball bounced around for a while without getting cleared, allowing Conrad to knock it past Loy, who finished with 11 saves, and give Marion a 1-0 lead.
"The defense, they were doing the best job they could," said Rager of both Marion goals. "They just got bunched in there together and the ball just popped out and they were able to capitalize on a messy situation."
But Jay County refused to stay on the short end of the score for long as Kaelee Keller and Brianne Wellman worked the ball on the left side before Wellman sent it across the field. Senior Dana Horn was ready near the right post, sending a shot back to the left corer to tie the game with 27:26 remaining.
The Patriots had a couple of good opportunities in the final seven minutes of regulation but could not capitalize, and Marion took the game in overtime.
The Giants took 13 shots on goal for the game compared to 11 for Jay County. Tequila Guntle had four shots for the Patriots, Wellman took three and Horn, Keller and Cassandra Huelskamp each had one.
Huelskamp, who played most of the evening on the defensive end, drew accolades for her effort in the final game of her career.
"Cassandra did an excellent job out there tonight," said Rager. "She really stepped it up a notch. I knew that she was capable of playing the way she played tonight. ... Tequila, Dana, Abby, all my seniors, they all played really well tonight.
"And, it's not just the seniors, but everybody. I'm really proud that I'm their coach."[[In-content Ad]]
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