Lebanon
The result boiled down to one play, with less than a minute remaining in the second overtime. Hanover’s Pepper Joseph, who bested Lebanon in overtime earlier in the season with a long-distance goal, had the ball. She lofted a cross toward the far side of the net, where teammate Sage McGinley-Smith one-touched a volley toward the net. But Lebanon goalkeeper Sally Rainey dove across the face of the goal and just got a hand on the ball to keep her team out of the losing column.
“Pepper (Joseph) had a really great cross, but I knew we didn’t want to go into the playoffs on a loss,” Rainey said. “It was definitely a reaction save, and I didn’t have time to think. I’m proud of our team today, and if it had to come down to one play, I’m glad (Hanover) didn’t win.”
It was the closest Hanover had come to scoring in the entire game. Rainey had seven saves in the match, but the Marauders’ last attempt was the only one that really threatened to be a score.
“Sally’s the best goalie in the state, hands down,” Lebanon coach Breck Taber said. “She’s a special player and a special person, and I’m glad we’ve got her.”
Even the Marauders were in awe of the denial.
“I thought I got a pretty good volley on it, and I thought it was going to go in,” McGinley-Smith said. “But Sally, she is an incredible goalie. I don’t even know. She was all the way (across the net), and she full-out dove and managed to tip it out. Definitely kudos to her, because that was an incredible save.”
Both teams had scoring opportunities in regulation and overtime.
Nine minutes into play, Joseph lobbed a shot toward Rainey that slipped through her mitts. A couple of Marauders charged and one got a shot off, but Rainey ate the blow and held onto the ball.
The Raiders had their chances, as well. They had a total of six corner kicks, but Hanover’s defense and keeper Bella Bardales (eight saves) cleared them all out of harm’s way.
Both teams were clearly exhausted by halfway through the second overtime. Friday’s game capped a three-games-in-four-days run for Hanover.
“We need to freshen up and put the regular season behind us,” Hanover coach Doug Kennedy said. “The playoffs are a new season. We need a chance to recover and have some fun at practice, which we love to do.”
The game held a significant impact, especially for Hanover. The Marauders (11-3-2) had a chance to be in the top three in D-II with a win, which would have given them a first-round bye. But Lebanon (7-5-4) and Rainey rained on their chances, likely leaving Hanover in fifth heading into states.
Lebanon currently sits in 10th in the tables, where they will probably stay. Official playoff seedings and schedules will be released on Monday.