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Crown Point edges Valpo in PKs
Updated: October 15, 2011 10:28PM
HIGHLAND — What other type of girls soccer game would you have expected from two evenly matched teams?
Crown Point and Valparaiso, along with Chesterton, shared the the Duneland Conference championship.
The Bulldogs and Vikings both are skilled — yet physical — teams that prefer to play a possession game, working short passes to set up scoring chances.
In Saturday’s Class 2A Highland Regional championship, Crown Point came away with a victory against Valparaiso, winning 3-1 in penalty kicks after the teams played to a scoreless draw through regulation and overtime.
“We thought if we could hold on in overtime, we’d be in good shape,” said Bulldogs coach Chris Mikrut, whose team’s only loss to an area opponent came to the Vikings, 1-0 on Sept. 13.
“We could’ve lost this game in PKs,” added Mikrut, whose team lost in penalty kicks to Munster in regionals in 2009. “It’s a horrible way to lose. But it has to end some way.”
By winning its second regional title, with the other coming in 2003, Crown Point advances to the semifinals of the Fort Wayne Snider Semistate.
The Bulldogs will play at 11 a.m. next Saturday against the South Bend Riley Regional winner, which will be either South Bend St. Joseph’s or Penn.
“These are two great Duneland Athletic Conference teams, both champions,” Valparaiso coach Robert Cespedes said. “It came down to a coin flip at the end. They got it. You have to give them credit. They did what they needed to do to win.
“The girls played their hearts out. They have nothing to regret.”
The Bulldogs (16-4) converted three of the four penalty kicks they attempted, while the Vikings (15-4) made one of four. Valparaiso hit the crossbar once, sent one PK over the bar, and senior goalkeeper Kelsey Shoemaker saved one to clinch the victory for Crown Point.
“Kelsey Shoemaker, what can you say about that kid? She’s a wall,” Mikrut said.
Though neither team scored in regulation or overtime, both had opportunities. Among the closest calls: Shoemaker stopped dangerous senior forward Kate Johnson on a breakaway about a minute into the second half, Shoemaker corralled Lauren Reineke’s volley from close range off Johnson’s well-served free kick with less than four minutes left in the second half, and outstanding Crown Point junior midfielder Sarah Rivich smacked the crossbar with a direct kick from 30 yards with less than 30 seconds left in the first half of overtime.
After the Crown Point boys team won a regional title earlier on Saturday at Merrillville — and made its way to Highland in support — the Bulldogs girls team pulled out its title in PKs.
“It’s a great win,” Mikrut said. “This is a special day for the school. … It’s pretty unbelievable.”
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