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Crown Point falls to South Bend St Joseph’s
Updated: October 22, 2011 10:45PM
In the end, the old adage “speed kills” put an end to the Crown Point girls soccer team’s magical run.
A pair of overtime goals by South Bend St. Joseph’s broke a one-all tie in extra time as the Bulldogs saw their season end with a 3-1 defeat in the Class 2A Fort Wayne Snider Semistate on Saturday.
Both goals in overtime were the result of the seemingly fresher and faster legs of South Bend St. Joe’s Rachel Staud. She was able to beat the Crown Point defenders twice for goals, utilizing her quickness to gain scoing opportunities.
“Their speed definitely hurt us and our girls did a great job containing them as best we could,” Crown Point coach Chris Mikrut said. “Our keeper (Kelsey Shoemaker) kept us in that game the whole time.”
Shoemaker made several brilliant saves in the second half and overtime before succumbing to Staud’s agility. The senior keeper stopped two point-blank shots in the 69th minute while also knocking a header over the net a few minutes later.
Late in regulation, Shoemaker stiffled a breakaway chance by St. Joseph’s.
Crown Point got on the board first in the eighth minute when Sarah Rivich scored to give the Bulldogs the early lead.
“(The early goal) really gave us some momentum,” Shoemaker said. “I think in regulation it really picked us up.”
The Indians tied the game on a penalty kick just a minute into the second half when St. Joseph’s Lindsey Kuitse was brought down inside the box. She shot left as Shoemaker lunged the opposite direction to make it 1-1.
“The PK was the right call,” Mikrut said. “To play 94 minutes with these guys and keep them at one goal is a great accomplishment. But they found some extra energy at the end there.”
The Bulldogs’ postseason run ends in the semistate semifinals, but despite the tears from some of his players, Mikrut knows it was a successful season.
“We went 16-5 and got great support from the community and the school,” Mikrut said. “It was special for us, it’s something to build on. Hopefully, (this season) is the foundation of something for the next couple years.”
Despite departing as a senior, Shoemaker also sees brighter days ahead.
“With all the talent we have ... the people we have coming in, it will stay a high-quality program,” she said.
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