Spencerport and Grand Island played 110 scoreless minutes in the Far West New York State girls’ soccer regional, but the Rangers advance to the state semi-finals for the first time in school history winning on penalty kicks 5-3.
Luca Fahmer, Leah Wengender and Erin Coykendall all found the lower left corner of the net with their penalty kicks. Aleah Martone had her shot deflect off the goalkeeper’s hand and into the net before Olivia Wall calmly found the left corner with the game-winner thanks to a diving stop by Rangers keeper Lauren Opladen on Grand Island’s second shooter.
“I have a strategy where the first foot they step back with is normally the side they go (shoot) to, so I went with it and luckily it came out,” Opladen said.
The Rangers had two scoring chances in the first half with a Fahmer corner headed wide right by Coykendall in the 28th minute and a late chance with Coykendall feeding Venessa Watson, who missed wide right.
A 44th minute corner kick play by Fahmer saw Coykendall put the rebound off the right post. Later a cross from the right corner Martone was also headed wide in the 57th minute.
After the first ten-minute overtime, the Rangers threatened on three separate occasions in the second OT. Watson beat two defenders on the right side before her cross was knocked out and the rebound sailed high.
Fahmer had her shot in the 92nd minute saved and Wengender had her direct kick from 25 yards out rise just above the crossbar in the 96th minute.
In the fourth overtime Wengender and Coykendall worked a great give-and-go that was thwarted by a diving save with three minutes remaining before the penalty kicks.
“We’ve been doing quite a few penalty kick competitions so we were prepared for it,” Spencerport head coach Jamie Schneider said. “We simulated the best we could and this team just keeps answering the call. Through those competitions we came up with who we thought was confident with good, quality shots and our goalie made a save.”
As for sending a defender (Wall) out as the fifth kicker with the game on the line?
“We thought about that, but through all of our competitions she just had confidence and she just wanted it. Sometimes you can’t dispute that, so we just went with it.”
The Rangers (20-0-1), who have now registered shutouts in their last seven consecutive games and 15 overall this season, advance to the state semi-finals played at Tompkins Cortland Community College against Pearl River (14-5-1) from Section I.
