PENDLETON — The Pendleton Heights girls soccer team needed every bit of resiliency it had Monday, Sept. 25. It was playing the top team in its conference, only held a lead for just over a minute of playing time, and trailed by two goals on three occasions.
But at the end of the game, it made the big plays at the big moments, and came out with a share of their first Hoosier Heritage Conference championship since 2010.
The Arabians scored twice in the final six minutes of regulation to force overtime and, when the extra time didn’t settle things, outscored Mt. Vernon 4-2 in penalty kicks for a 6-5 win against the Marauders.
The final boosts the Arabians to 11-3-1 on the season and dropped Mt. Vernon to 13-3. The two teams will share the conference title with 6-1 marks.
Trailing 5-3 and running out of time with just 6:24 remaining, freshman Macy Browning injected life into the Arabians when she scored off a corner kick to cut the deficit to one.
It was the third time Pendleton Heights had cut a two-goal deficit in half. The previous two occasions, the Marauders struck quickly to regain control. This time, the Arabian defense held and set up senior Kate Cowger for an eventual free kick from more than 30 yards away. She blasted the kick over the defense and into the net to tie the game at 5-5.
“I just had to make it for the team,” Cowger said. “(The seniors) never won conference, so I wanted to leave senior year with a good year.”
The Marauders had a chance with a free kick at the 1:07 mark, but the kick missed and, following a scoreless 14 minutes of overtime, coach Mark Davy lined up his best players for the penalty kick phase.
“We practice penalty kicks and free kicks and we go with who is hot,” he said.
The Arabians seized control in the penalty kicks when the initial Marauder offering was wide of the mark, but junior Helena Talbot found the back of the net.
Cowger and senior goalkeeper Shayla Meinders gave the Arabians a 2-0 advantage when Meinders blocked the Mt. Vernon attempt before Cowger blasted her kick into the net.
“Mark told me to go left because most of them go left,” Meinders said. “So, I went left and saved it.”
Junior Taylor Fort answered a Mt. Vernon make with a score of her own and, when freshman Macy Browning did likewise, the Arabians had wrapped up the match.
All four Arabians who scored in penalty kicks also scored during regulation.
“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations,” Davy said. “It’s a team effort; they had to battle back, and they did that three or four times.”
Fort gave the Arabians their only lead of regulation at the 33:15 mark of the first half.
After the Marauders scored three consecutive goals for a 3-1 lead, a Cowger shot ricocheted off the goalie to junior Helena Talbot, who scored to cut the lead to 3-2 at the 17:24 mark in the second half.
After Mt. Vernon scored on a penalty kick, junior Leonie Wilson capitalized on a fumble by the Marauder goalkeeper to pull the Arabians within a goal again at 4-3 with 10:43 left.
“When we score five goals, we should win easily,” Davy said. “We should never give up five goals, but the way they battled, it’s a credit to them. Defensively, they never hung their heads.”
Pendleton Heights were set to close out its regular season Wednesday, Sept. 27, at Hamilton Heights (after press time) before sectional play begins next week.
Vs. New Palestine
The drive for a Hoosier Heritage Conference girls soccer championship hit a speed bump Wednesday, Sept. 20, as a seven-match unbeaten streak for Pendleton Heights was snapped by a 2-1 loss to New Palestine.
It was the first loss for Pendleton Heights since Aug. 26, a span that saw the Arabians win six and tie one.
Pendleton Heights scored first when junior Claire Fendel scored on a cross from Cowger for a 1-0 lead, which the Arabians took into the second half.
But Dragon sophomore Madalynn Miller scored a goal and assisted on a second score to give New Palestine (10-2-1) the victory.
The loss also spoiled the Arabian senior night, when Cowger, Meinders, Deisdy Rodriguez, Marleau McGinnis, Alyssa Moore, Ari Francis, Madison Renbarger, Natalie Taylor, Olivia Bolinger and Noelle Schneider were honored before the match.
At Westfield
Meinders posted her sixth shutout of the season, and fourth in as many games, but Pendleton Heights settled for a 0-0 draw at Westfield Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Coach Davy credited the back line of Wilson, Megan Green, Browning, and Deisdy Rodriguez for helping post another great defensive team effort.
