KINGSTON, Ont. - In sport, there can only ever be one winner, and unfortunately it had to be decided in penalty kicks in the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association (OCAA) women's soccer qualifier game between the SLC Vikings and the Loyalist College Lancers.
The best of five shootout went down to the final shooter, with the Lancers capitalizing on the last shot to win 2-1, ending the Vikings season.
"I know the girls are upset with the final result, but today did not feel like a loss. The girls from both teams played so well, it's just unfortunate that a winner had to be determined by penalty kicks," said Vikings assistant coach, and OCAA Hall of Fame member, Nejat Agaoglu.
The Vikings had their share of chances in the first half, with consistent pressure in the offensive end, but could produce a goal for their efforts. On three corner kicks, SLC came very close to opening the scoring by getting good touches in front of the net that were either stopped by the Loyalist goalkeeper, or cleared away by a defender.
In the second half, Megan Simpson would get fouled inside the 18-yard box that drew a penalty kick for SLC. Once again, the Loyalist goalkeeper was up to the task and made a great diving save to keep the game scoreless.
The save sparked the Lancers who carried that momentum in scoring the first goal of the game, just after the Vikings goalkeeper, Sam Turcotte, made a number of saves.
Two minutes later, SLC stormed the net and had a shot ring right off the post, and cleared by Loyalist that resulted in a corner kick for SLC. Megan Hutcheson was in great position on the cross pass and made no mistake in tying the game at one.
Both teams had chances in the final 10 minutes of the game, but with no goals being scored, the game was sent to two 15 minute overtime periods. The overtime had a tentative pace to it, but still produced some exciting moments, including Loyalist hitting the post in the 95th minute.
After overtime, it was off to penalty kicks where Turcotte would make two big stops for the Vikings, and scored the team's first goal in the shootout. In the fifth and final round, the Vikings were unable to score, opening the door for Stephanie Semark who scored the game winner for the Lancers, advancing them to play the Humber College Hawks in the OCAA crossover match.
"All I could say to the girls was that I couldn't more proud to have been their coach this season. They all played their hearts out today, leaving it all on the field, and that's all that I can ask for as a coach," said Vikings head coach Natasha Agaoglu.
"I also told them that they have continued to improve the performance and results of our program. This team is now a playoff contender for the second consecutive year, and cannot be taken lightly anymore, as proven in our games against Centennial, Seneca, and Algonquin," Agaoglu added.
"Our rookies on the team all stepped up, performed, and gelled really well with our returning players. They will be a big advantage to have for next season."
Source: St. Lawrence College