Lady Panthers defeat Warriors in penalty kicks, advance to semifinals

John Bowen, Coach
May 9, 2016

Starr’s Mill survived in every sense of the word with a 1-1 tie against North Atlanta on Friday afternoon in the AAAAA Girls’ State Quarterfinals before advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks.

From the beginning, it was the Warriors who set the tone and dominated play. Possession and territory both belonged to a North Atlanta team that attacked from the first second of the game.

Senior Dylan Patterson was flying around the back putting out fires with senior Ashlyn Walloch called into service under severe pressure. She was up to the task with great positioning and carefully blunted several clear opportunities as the Warrior forwards sent several shots wide or over.

The Panther forwards were starved for service, as every ball forward seemed to be an emergency clear to relieve pressure, which rarely found any friendly feet up front. On the few occasions they were able to gain clear possession, seniors Lauren Yoss, Leslie Logan and Riley Clark created a few chances but rarely looked a true threat. Junior Katelyn LaRusso provided a spark in the midfield, bringing energy and a tireless work rate to the match.

The Warriors, unfortunately, continued to dominate and owned the air on all throws, corners and free kicks frustrating the Panthers consistently. However, it was Starr’s Mill who took the lead against the run of play with 15 minutes remaining in the first half, when Logan fed Clark who fired home for the 1-0 lead.

Rather than change fortune, the goal seemed to inspire North Atlanta, and they were level within six minutes. The Warrior striker got free outside the box in front of the backline and slid the ball perfectly into the corner to draw the teams level going into the break.

The second half was more of the same, with North Atlanta launching attack after attack and the Panthers struggling to keep the ball. The Warriors had multiple clean looks but either failed to find the frame or found Walloch snagging the ball out of the air. A corner played perfectly to the back post found Walloch expertly positioned and a brilliant opportunity was turned into a routine save.

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In the last few minutes, the Panthers were able to carve out their best chance with a breakaway that ran afoul when the turf tripped up Logan. As the teams headed to overtime it seemed only a matter of time until North Atlanta found the winner, as they accumulated the lead in shots, chances, corners and possession.

When it came down to it, however, Starr’s Mill dug deep and overtime was a completely different and balanced affair. The Panthers rose up to be counted and began to come to grips with the game. Half chances became clear chances and possession was maintained with more frequency.

The first five minutes of overtime ended with Starr’s Mill clearly in the ascendancy and in control but unable to dent the scoreboard. In the second five minutes of overtime, the Panthers were denied only by the flag as Logan found Yoss, who clipped the ball to Clark, who squared for Logan to tap home, only to be denied by the whistle and a close offsides call in the build up.

The teams’ fates would be decided by kicks from the spot. The Warrior keeper saved the first Panther attempt, but the North Atlanta shooter hit over the bar. Yoss, Logan and Patterson each hit their spot kicks as North Atlanta hit two of their own. Walloch came up huge on the Warrior fourth attempt with a diving save, leaving Clark to finish the unlikely success.

The penalty kick advantage sends Starr’s Mill to the AAAAA Girls’ Semifinals where they will play Columbus. A coin flip determined that the match will be played in Columbus at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Edited by Jenna Sanders, Staff Writer