As the whistle blew at the end of the second half in Saturday afternoon’s girls varsity soccer match between Roaring Fork High School and Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), most folks in the crowd cheered and began to file out of the stadium after a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
“Hold on, everyone,” came an announcement from Athletic Director Crista Barlow in the booth. “We’re going to overtime.” The game had been a good contest, so the crowd returned to their seats to see who would come out on top.
The first half of regulation was a back-and-forth affair with plenty of opportunities for both teams, but it was sophomore Emma Charters who opened the scoring for the Lady Rams with a low, near post shot that snuck its way past the CRMS goalkeeper. Just a few minutes before the half, the Oysters struck back when senior captain Willa Berry put her laces through a free-kick from 25 yards out that cruised just above the wall and into the top left corner of the goal.
With a strong wind at their backs, the Lady Rams took control of the midfield battle in the second half. Avery Shook and Carley Crownhart created several good chances for Roaring Fork, but a strong defensive performance from CRMS’s Scarlett Kerr, several saves from junior goalkeeper Abee Pabst, as well as help from a goalpost kept the score tied.
In overtime, the prospect of a next-goal-wins scenario spurred both teams to take risks that they had been too cautious to try during regulation. A quick series of chances at both ends gave the crowd the sense that the game would not end in a tie. Sure enough, just five minutes into the first overtime period, sophomore Lexy Sanchez won the ball in midfield, looked up, took a touch, then fired a shot goalwards from 35 yards. CRMS goalkeeper Pabst dove valiantly, but the ball sailed over her and into the net, giving the Lady Rams a much needed victory over their local rivals.
It was a fitting end to an exciting game, as Roaring Fork was rewarded for their persistence in creating offensive chances. The Oysters played with a well-organized, tough defensive plan that very nearly worked, but it was a moment of brilliance from Sanchez that decided the game in the end.