Girls soccer ties with Norwell

The Patriots were nine minutes away from their second loss of the season.
Instead, they tied for the first time this year.
Junior Stormi Canterbury scored in the 73rd minute Thursday as the Jay County High School girls soccer team played to a 2-2 tie with the Norwell Knights.
It was the first draw for Jay County (3-1-1) since 2013.
“Last year they beat us 4-2,” said JCHS coach Giles Laux. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight with them. To come away with a tie is always better than a loss.
“I feel we’re a better team than them. The better team doesn’t always win.”
Norwell coach John Proegler had similar thoughts as Laux.
“I hate ties,” Proegler said. “(But) at the end of the day it was a good game.”
The Knights (3-2-2) and Patriots were tied at one goal apiece at intermission, and it took more than a half hour into the second half to break the tie.
That doesn’t mean neither team had opportunities, though. Jay County got two good chances in the first five minutes from Lucy Laux and Canterbury. Laux’s shot was saved and Canterbury’s missed the mark.
Both teams traded chances for the better part of the next 20 minutes, with Norwell appearing to have the upper hand.
On a few occasions, the Knights took the ball deep into the Patriots’ defensive end on breakaway chances, but defenders Briana Muhlenkamp, Kendra Muhlenkamp and Megan Smith chased them down.
“The Jay County defense was really strong,” Proegler said. “They have a couple girls that are really fast. I think we were trying to play the fast break through them too much, which kind of plays to Jay County’s strength.
“We weren’t playing to our strength.”
Norwell’s game-tying goal in the first half came from one of those fast break plays. Cecelya Archbold weaved through three Jay County defenders down the right side of the field and beat JCHS goalkeeper Lilly Rogers on the far side with 15:15 left on the clock in the first half.
But with 9:17 remaining in the game, Norwell’s Megan Herber had the ball in the left side of the 18-yard box and chipped it to the far post past Rogers for a 2-1 Knight lead.
Rogers, however, did have 12 saves.
With minutes to kill on the clock for the victory, Norwell’s offense became complacent with its lead, exhaustion from the humidity and heat started to set in.
Jay County wasn’t bothered too much by the heat. The Patriots buckled down and converted on their next chance to tie the game.
Senior Mariah Bailey took the ball at midfield to the right corner, sent a cross pass into the box to Canterbury. The junior stopped the ball, then fired a shot from just inside the box. The ball hit the outstretched hands of Norwell goalkeeper Jessica Siela and into the back of the net. Canterbury threw up her arms and was greeted by Emma Laux with a big hug at midfield.
“It was nice,” Giles Laux said of the equalizer, Canterbury’s second goal of the year. “That’s what I’ve been wanting her to do all season.”
Lucy gave the Patriots an early lead in the first half when she scored from an extremely sharp angle. The sophomore — who leads the team with nine goals — took a pass from her sister Emma into the goalie box on the right side, and about 6 feet from the goal line she lifted a right-footed shot over a jumping Siela for the game’s first goal.
“That was beautiful,” Proegler said. “Almost impossible angle and she drills it into the upper corner.”
Part of Lucy’s scoring prowess has been from her father pushing her to be more aggressive offensively.
“She is very unselfish, but I told her when she has a shot — especially against a team like this — to take it.” Giles said.
 
Junior varsity
Like their varsity counterparts, Jay County and Norwell played to a 2-2 draw.
Sophomore Breea Liette scored both goals for the Patriots, with Irene Braun and Kayla Ferguson tallying assists.
Hannah Link and Leearah Eldridge split time as goalkeeper. Link started, recording three saves. Eldridge came on in relief and made four stops.