Summit girls soccer team loses in double overtime to Battle Mountain in nail-biting showdown

The Summit girls soccer team went into its game against Battle Mountain on Thursday, April 28, looking to make a statement to the rest of the league that the team was a respectable force as the regular season comes to a close.

The team proved that point during the match, which likely will go down as an instant classic.

The match did not take just 80 minutes to determine the winner. It also wasn’t decided in 90. Instead, it took nearly 97 full minutes of high-speed, aggressive and competitive soccer to decide the winner.

The last time the Tigers faced Battle Mountain, the Huskies dominated the Tigers, 4-0, but this time was different.

After several back-and-forth possessions to begin the game, the Huskies put the ball in the Tigers’ defensive zone. A defensive error led to a ball slipping past Summit goalie Sarah Pappas to put Battle Mountain up early, 1-0.

Summit immediately responded to Battle Mountain’s first goal by driving down the field. Summit Junior forward Joselin Roque broke toward the goal and sent a beautiful shot toward the net, but it barely went wide.

After the miss by Roque, it briefly looked like the Tigers spirits were down, but a few minutes later, Roque again chased after a loose ball and fired. This time the ball went straight over Battle Mountain goalie Elle Glendinning’s head and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.

With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Pappas continued to do what she does best: blocking shots like a brick wall.

Both teams exchanged possession to close out the half, but the Huskies had the majority of the strong offensive opportunities. Pappas made several miraculous saves — twisting, leaping and using her height to intercept lofty shots.

At halftime the score was still tied at 1-1.

The Tigers started the second half with a composed, energized drive, which led to several breaks towards the goal. The Battle Mountain defense was able to stop the Summit offense, but the chances by the Tigers clearly frustrated the Huskies.

“We talked a lot about poise, composure and being patient,” head coach Jotwan Daniels said. “Everything we talked about, they did in the second half. We looked really good in the second half — our ability to stay composed in those difficult moments.”

As seconds continued to tick off the clock, both teams exchanged possessions and the game got fiery as both teams searched for the go-ahead goal.

Senior Olyvia Snyder had a solid chance when she broke through the Huskies defense and fired off a shot, but Glendinning was able to wrap the ball up for the save.

With under 12 minutes remaining in the second half, the Huskies charged the net ,recording two shots on the net that made the home-team fans hold their breath.

Pappas once again put herself in front of the ball, keeping the highly contested game tied.

Minutes later, junior Kelley Duffy got painfully close to scoring the game-winning goal when she rocketed a free kick toward the goal, but it glanced off the crossbar.

Duffy got a second chance on a corner kick, which barely missed again.

The game advanced to overtime when Battle Mountain’s last push of the game was met with a strong defensive pursuit from Summit.

In the first 10-minute overtime period, the Tigers and Huskies each exchanged possessions with the fatigue starting to truly to set in after competing hard for 80 minutes.

The Huskies had the better offensive looks, but Pappas once again stopped every shot, advancing the game to double overtime.

In the second overtime, it was the Tigers who started to plot drives at the net, but with nearly three minutes remaining before the match would be declared a tie, Battle Mountain broke through the Summit defense and sent a ball out of the reach of Pappas’ arms.

The ball bounced off the goalpost before entering the net, sending the Huskies into a frenzy of celebration, while the Tigers dropped their heads and walked humbly back to the sideline.

Despite the emotional loss, Daniels couldn’t have been more pleased by the way his team had performed.

“They were disappointed. It stinks to lose like that, but our effort was where it needed to be and our soccer was freaking fantastic,” Daniels said. “I cannot be disappointed. To lose 4-0 the first time and tonight push it to the brink — like, come on girls, you can’t be disappointed.”