Patriot girls rally before falling

YORKTOWN — The Patriots were trailing by two goals to the defending champions, a team they had already lost to three times in the last two seasons.
But even if no one else at Yorktown Sports Complex thought they could rally, they believed.
Jay County fought back to pull even with less than 15 minutes to play Saturday, but a goal from Yorktown defenseman Jessica Extine thwarted the Patriots hopes for their first sectional title as they fell 3-2 in the Class 2A Sectional 15 girls soccer championship game at Yorktown Sports Park.
“I’m nothing but proud of these girls,” said JCHS coach Abby Champ, whose team finished at 10-7. “When it looked like we were down and out, they got that goal to get us back in it.
“That’s what we do. We don’t give up til the end.”
The Patriots trailed 1-0 at the break and fell into a two-goal deficit when Yorktown sophomore Lauren Siler connected on a shot from about 25 yards out just over 14 minutes into the second half.
Jay County, however, was unwilling to let the Tigers walk away with their fourth straight title without a fight.
About five minutes later, and just moments after Champ had implored her forwards to put more pressure on the Tigers’ deepest defender, Alex Loy came through. She took a pass inside the 18-yard box, fought off Extine and shot past goalie Michelle Bess to get the Patriots back in the game.
It was Loy’s third goal of the tournament after she went scoreless during the regular season.
“That was all the confidence the girls needed to get right back in this game,” said Champ. “Alex is very feisty. So when Alex wants something, Alex is going to get it. … (Tuesday) definitely helped. Getting those two goals gave her confidence.”
JCHS kept the pressure on the Tigers’ defense and came through again seven minutes later.
After Catherine Dunn, Gabbie Mann, Maddie Bailey and Loy had several attacks turned away, the ball popped out to the left corner of the 18-yard box. With fellow senior Sammi Compton waiting at midfield as her substitute, Andrea Bruggeman drilled a shot to the right corner to even the score with 14:38 on the clock.
“That’s the shot Legs has wanted all year, and we have wanted for her,” said Champ of Bruggeman. “She had the power to just hammer that ball in.”
The tie game lasted for just over five minutes before Beverly Brittingham worked the ball up the right side of the field for Yorktown. She sent the ball to the center of the field and the Patriots cleared it, but Extine came flying in to boot a 30-yarder over Reynard for what would be the game-winning score.
Jay County made several runs in the final nine minutes, but was unable to pull even again.
“It’s not fun to be on the losing end of that, but for spectators and players alike, that’s a great game to be at,” said Yorktown coach Zach Rabenstein, whose team advances to play McCutcheon (11-8) in regional semifinal action at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Logansport. “Both sides had a lot of fight in them.
“Jay County just really outworked us in the second half, the whole time.”
The game was scoreless for the first 28 minutes before Yorktown broke through on a corner kick. Senior midfielder Abby Mansker hit a perfect kick right in front of the goal, and just before goalie Brooke Reynard could get her hands on the ball junior Katie Wolfert connected on a header to put the Tigers on top.
Yorktown (11-6) extended its advantage on McCormick’s score, JCHS came roaring back and then Extine connected to give her team the win.
While Wolfert has scored 16 times this season for the Tigers, Jay County shut down its other two leading scorers — Brittingham (19 goals), who scored three times during the regular-season game, and Mansker (11). Freshman Emma Laux had the defensive assignment on Brittingham, and hounded her the entire 80 minutes.
“Emma’s job was to stay on (Brittingham) and not to give her that corner look,” said Champ. “That was our one thing tonight was to shut (Brittingham and Mansker) down and make them win with somebody else … We did. We made them win using other people.
“Emma couldn’t have done a better job.”
The loss marked the eighth time the Patriots have fallen short in the sectional championship game. But it was by far their best performance against Yorktown in four meetings over the last two seasons.
JCHS had fallen 2-0 during the 2011 regular season, 3-1 in the 2011 sectional title game and 4-1 during the regular season this year.
“Those girls came in wanting it,” said Champ, who will lose five seniors in Gabie Cross, Hannah Fifer, Abby Broering, Compton and Bruggeman. “There is just something about the attitude we had last year and we have this year. The girls believe so much in themselves. Even if nobody else in the world does, they do. … As coaches, we can’t ask for anything more.
“We love them.”[[In-content Ad]]