Squaws take title over Jay (10/20/03)

BERNE — The Jay County girls soccer team has developed a knack for winning thrilling sectional semifinal games. It still hasn’t found a way to win that elusive first title.

The Patriots advanced to their fifth straight sectional championship game with a 2-1 overtime win over the South Adams Starfires Saturday morning only to lose to the Bellmont Squaws 6-1 in the afternoon sectional finale.

Bellmont advances to play No. 8 Homestead in the Homestead Regional Wednesday at 7 p.m. Homestead won the Columbia City sectional championship with a 3-2 victory over Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.

The Squaws were the favorite going in, having beaten Jay County 9-0 during the regular season. The sectional championship match-up was not so lop-sided, but not so close either.

“It’s a disappointment, but we knew Bellmont was a strong team,” said Jay County coach Sue Rager. “They were the better team.”

Rager noted a better second-half effort by the Patriots after allowing five goals before intermission for a 5-1 halftime deficit.

“We played hard,” she said. “I was hoping for one more goal. They were hustling and really trying to work that ball down the field and it just wasn’t happening.”

Bellmont asserted itself early on when Kristy Hakes, the Squaws’ lone senior, blasted a goal from the center of the field past Beth Siegrist with less than three minutes off the clock. Dawn Heckman busted through the middle five minutes later for the 2-0 lead.

The lead grew to 3-0 after Siegrist made a great save on an Amy Butcher shot and the Patriots couldn’t clear the ball. Hakes got control of it and ripped a shot past Siegrist’s right hand for the score at the 24:27 mark.

There was a glimmer of hope for Jay County five minutes later when Jamie Bruggeman — who played a part in all three of the Patriots’ goals on the day — sent in a cross from the right side. The ball bounced around for a while on the left side of the goal box before Sara Garringer knocked it in to cut the lead to 3-1.

But, Valyssa Parrish and Elizabeth Alberding added Bellmont goals before halftime. Parrish scored again midway through the second half for the final margin.

Parrish led the Squaws, taking five of their 15 shots on goal. Hakes shot three times, scoring on both of her first-half attempts.

Jay County managed just four shots on goal, one each by Garringer, Lindsay Friddle, Jessica Heitkamp and Abby Schmiesing.

The Patriots needed overtime for the second straight year to get to the championship contest. They defeated Huntington North 2-1 in a shoot-out last season, and that game came on the heels of the 2001 mud bowl at Richmond in which they defeated New Castle in a 3-2 thriller.

This year’s semifinal tilt against South Adams lived up to its predecessors. The Starfires forced overtime with a late regulation goal to tie the contest at 1-1 only to have the Patriots return the favor in overtime.

Both teams had their opportunities in the two seven-minute overtime periods, but with a minute to go the score remained tied. Then, Bruggeman sent in one of her patented crossing passes from the right side.

It didn’t lead directly to a shot, but moments later Jessica Heitkamp pushed the ball back into the goal box from the left side. A mob scene in front of the goal ensued, with Garringer eventually tapping in the game-winning goal.

“There were a lot of people in there,” said Garringer. “I was just kicking and it went in. It was the best feeling ever.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever had one quite like this,” added Rager.

South Adams got the tying goal after controlling the ball for at least 75 percent of the second half.

Finally it broke through when Chelsey Minnich deflected a Renae Laux boot. Katie Nichols picked up the deflection and flipped it over Siegrist’s head to tie the score at 1-1 with just 1:50 left on the clock.

Nichols finished with five of the Starfires’ 24 shots on goal, 14 of which came in the second half. Kindle Inniger took six shots.

The first Jay County goal came with 13:03 on the clock in the first half when Bruggeman sent in a cross after South Adams had already turned the Patriots away once. The Starfires could not do so again, as the pass went perfectly over goalie Courtney Moore’s head just a few feet in front of the goal.

A host of players crashed the goal, with Angie Hilgeford knocking the ball in for the score.

Bruggeman and Friddle split the four other shots on goal taken by Jay County in the contest.[[In-content Ad]]