Mariner girls soccer team loses heartbreaker in 5A state championship game
Tritons fall 4-2 to American Heritage on PKs
The Mariner Tritons girls soccer team came just shy of repeating as FHSAA 5A state champs Friday afternoon, losing a heartbreaker in PKs to American Heritage.
The back-and-forth match saw no score after regulation and the two 10-minute extra time periods. On to penalty kicks they went.
Both the Patriots and Tritons buried their first two PK shots to keep things even through two rounds. American Heritage converted its third and fourth, while Mariner was stopped both times, giving the Patriots their 12th state championship.
American Heritage came out hot and put the pressure on the Tritons early on in the contest, but the defending state champs came back and got the better of the opportunities before the break.
The Tritons kept the pressure on in the second half and nearly broke the scoreless tie on a few occasions. A decisive moment came after the second half water break when Mariner senior Kira Wilson was given a red card for making a slide tackle on a Patriots’ forward on her way to a one-on-one situation with Tritons keeper Lataya Simmons.
Despite playing with 10, Mariner stayed competitive and even had the better of play down the stretch. Simmons was absolutely stellar for Mariner, being aggressive when needed and showing off her sturdy hands on multiple occasions.
Both squads had their chances in extra time, the biggest being when Tritons sophomore Caroline Pelkofski, who shot one off the keeper from in-close after a dazzling run to the net.
In the end, the Patriots came out on top in the always nerve-wracking penalty shootout.
The Tritons end the season with an 18-5-1 record.
— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com