Friday night’s game between the Lady Panthers and East Coweta was a battle the entire time as both teams had many chances to score. The back and forth affair ended in a 4-4 tie after regulation and overtime, but the Indians took the game in penalties, 5-3, to give the Panthers their first loss of the season.

Starr’s Mill opened the scoring in the 12th minute when senior Riley Clark spun free of the defense near the box and connected with senior Lauren Yoss. Yoss made no mistake with her shot for the 1-0 lead to start the back-and-forth scoring. East Coweta immediately responded with a goal just four minutes later to tie the match at 1-1 and set the tone for the rest of the night.

The Panthers again moved ahead when sophomore Sara Biddle’s pass found senior Leslie Logan at the top of the box. Logan’s shot slipped in at the near post of the goal for the 2-1 advantage in the 23rd minute.

It seemed as if Starr’s Mill was going to enter halftime with the lead, but they could not hold out until the half. East Coweta missed a free kick, but controlled the ball after the shot. They turned that possession into the tying goal to lock up the game at 2-2 with 49 seconds left on the clock before intermission.

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Starr’s Mill took their third lead of the night in the 53rd minute. Yoss dished a perfect pass to junior Ansley Peurifoy, and Peurifoy’s first touch put the ball in the net for the 3-2 advantage. The Panthers turned up the pressure, but the Indians were able to respond in the 61st minutes, tying the game again at 3-3.

Starr’s Mill answered back and began stringing passes together, forcing East Coweta to retreat. The Indians tried to gain opportunities but allowed a Panther goal with just under six minutes remaining in the match. Again it was Yoss who created the chance and hit Clark with a pass who scored to put the Panthers at the 4-3 advantage.

However, the Indians responded immediately on a corner kick and tied the game once again. They took less than a minute to even the score. Each team had another scoring chance, but neither could capitalize and the clock hit zero with the teams deadlocked at 4-4.

In overtime, the Panthers gained control but only slightly. Both periods were over as soon as they started with little true opportunities.

The Indians made their first kick in penalties and remained perfect in their shooting on all five attempts. Yoss, Logan and senior Laurel Parker converted on their three attempts, but East Coweta took their first lead of the night in the fourth round before finishing off the win in the fifth.

The match drops the Panthers to 11-1-0 on the season and 8-0-0 in the region. The team traveled to Northgate on Monday in a 2-0 victory and will travel to Marist on Thursday.

Edited by Rilee Stapleton, Staff Writer