Last Friday, Starr’s Mill welcomed St. Pius in their first non-region encounter of the regular season finishing the night with a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks.

The Panthers started on the front foot with a territorial advantage but it was the Golden Lions who found the back of the net first. A St. Pius shot found a fortunate deflection causing senior Ashlyn Walloch to slip as she changed direction and the Golden Lions took the lead in the 31st minute. They held tight to the advantage going into the half.

Starr’s Mill found the equalizer in the 57th minute as senior Laurel Parker slipped senior Riley Clark in with a pass breaking the St. Pius backline. Clark finished expertly, tying the game at 1-1.

The Panthers continued to work hard, with three of the Lady Panthers running at the defense. However, it was St Pius who took the lead on a penalty when a Panthers player hit a defender’s arm and the referee designated to the spot to take the penalty kick. The Panthers found themselves down 2-1 with 16:25 remaining in the game.

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In the 73rd minute, Clark found sophomore Macey Voorhies sprinting into the box. Voorhies settled and shot the ball past the keeper to tie the match at 2-2.

For the remainder of regulation, the Panthers created a couple more chances but again the St. Pius keeper was equal to the challenge.  The teams took a 2-2 tie into overtime.

In the overtime, it was more of a midfield battle with St. Pius holding the advantage but neither side seriously threatened the goal with a shot and it was on to penalties.

Walloch came up huge with a save on the first Lion attempt. Parker scored to take a 1-0 lead after the first round. Each team made their 2nd shot with Yoss scoring for Starr’s Mill, keeping the lead at 2-1. Walloch made another save on the Lions’ third shot, and each team missed the goal on their 4th shots.  The Golden Lions scored on the fifth shot to tie it up before Clark won it with a kick into the corner that the keeper couldn’t hold. After 90 minutes, Starr’s Mill defeated the 2015 AAAA state champion Lions 3-2 in kicks from the mark.

Starr’s Mill returns to regional action tomorrow as they host Ola. The game kicks off in Panther Stadium at 5:55 p.m.

Edited by Jenna Sanders, Staff Writer