Lebanon
Trailing by a goal in the second half, the Raiders scored twice, capped by Grace Godfrey’s game-winning goal in overtime for a 2-1 win over John Stark at Lebanon High School.
Although the Raiders were thrilled to get their first overtime win after two losses and three draws, they were even more exuberant to have done it on a special day.
Lebanon warmed up in homemade shirts worn over their jerseys, wore pink socks during the game and goalkeeper Sally Rainey wore all pink for the entire match.
Cancer affects many families, and the Raider girls wanted to do their part by playing a good game of soccer in honor of those affected by the disease.
“It is a pretty big deal for us,” Rainey said. “We have the pink socks, we dress up for school, we make shirts, and I think everyone comes out fired up for this game.”
Godfrey agreed, saying she had a personal investment as cancer has also affected her family.
“I think it is always important to remember we are playing for a cure out here,” Godfrey said. “Personally, I’ve had experiences with (cancer) in my family. It’s been one of those things where it really hits home this game. Every year, we always try to come out and play our hardest, do our best, and I’m really proud of us.”
The extra energy in playing for a cause might have helped the Raiders dig deeper to find a win that took more than 80 regulation minutes.
The game went into halftime with a 0-0 tie. The Raiders opened the second half with more pressure and early shots, but it was the Generals who scored first. Sara Nikias blasted a shot from the 18 over Rainey’s head.
Lebanon equalized the match 14 minutes later. Godfrey took a direct kick that was saved by Generals keeper Ali L’Heureux. The rebound bounced around in front of the net until Kialeh Punni put it away to tie the game up.
“When a ball is played off that far out, our goal is to try to get into the mixer in the penalty area and get either a head or a deflection on it,” Lebanon coach Breck Taber said. “The ball was bouncing around, and Kialeh was in the right spot at the right time, which is what we want.”
Stark nearly took back the lead with 18 minutes left. Rainey leapt to snag a long drive toward the upper left corner of the net for a crucial stop that kept the game tied.
“I knew if we were down in a (2-1) hole, that would be tough to come back from,” Rainey said. “I don’t really know what exactly went through my head, I just knew I’m getting that ball.”
The save was one of 12 that the sophomore made in the match. It was also the last real scoring chance either team had prior to overtime.
John Stark drew a foul just outside its penalty box three minutes into the extra session. From the right side, Zoe Soule faked out the defense, pretending to take the shot, and Godfrey launched the ball into the upper left corner to end the game.
“I did that in a previous game against Bow. I did that with Megan Gradijan, and today Zoe Soule was my partner in crime,” Godfrey said. “We played that out really well. I’m really proud of the way it worked. It is one of those things where I just had to calm myself right before the shot.”
The goal was the defender’s second of the year, both coming off of direct kicks.
Lebanon (7-5-3) hosts rival Hanover on Friday in its final regular-season match. The Raiders hope to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss to the Marauders earlier this season.