LATHAM – Abigail Meissner had the game on her foot, but the ghost of what happened nine minutes earlier was playing in the back of her head.
The Averill Park sophomore had already gotten one chance to give the Golden Knights a Section 2 Class A girls’ soccer championship with an overtime winner against Schalmont, but that shot smacked off the goalpost.
Advertisement
Given another opportunity, she didn’t miss.
“I was so afraid it was going to go out again,” she said. “But, I’m glad it didn’t.”
Meissner controlled the ball 40 yards from the goal and dribbled through multiple defenders before neatly finishing past Schalmont goalkeeper Mandee Banks, giving Averill Park a 4-3 overtime win and the program its first sectional title since 2018, while also putting an end to a run of six straight area championships for Schalmont.
“I was crying, and everybody just tackled me,” Meissner said of the scene after her winning goal. “I was so excited and happy.”
Advertisement
The sophomore’s game-winner ended a rollercoaster ride of a championship game.
Teagan DeLair scored twice and assisted on a Mia Viloria goal as No. 2 seed Averill Park (7-9-3 overall) built a 3-1 lead with 30 minutes to play. But, No. 1 Schalmont (14-4) rallied to force overtime by scoring two goals, less than three minutes apart, late in regulation. Gia Kowalczyk made it 3-2 with 12:37 to play, and Selena Cassano scored her second free kick goal of the game with 9:50 left in regulation to tie things up.
Averill Park rediscovered its legs in overtime, winning the title and capping a remarkable postseason turnaround after going 0-7-3 in the Suburban Council. The Golden Knights are the only Class A team in the Suburban, with the rest of the league made up of Class AAA and AA schools.
“I always say our league is our best training partner,” Averill Park coach Lauren Tourtellot said. “The league does set us up. The league does help us. And, then, when we come down and play in Class A (for sectionals), we feel well-prepared playing at the pace and physicality of our Suburban Council counterparts that we play against.”
Advertisement
Key moment
Despite the shellshock of Schalmont’s two late goals to force overtime, Averill Park controlled nearly the entire overtime period until Meissner put home the winning goal.
When DeLair saw Meissner kick the winning shot into the net, the emotions started to flow.
“I was in tears,” DeLair said. “I was so tired and, in my head, I was like, ‘You’ve got it, Abigail. You can score, I promise.’ I was beyond-belief happy.”
DeLair said the key to the Golden Knights’ final surge was staying loose despite letting the lead slip away late in regulation.
“We were so hyped,” she said. “We were like, ‘Just go all the way. Don’t give up. Go hard.’ We had no pressure. They won six (straight) sectional titles before us, so we just went out there and did what we could.”
Advertisement
Star of the game
DeLair didn’t score the winning goal for Averill Park, but the midfielder was in the middle of all three goals the Golden Knights scored during regulation. She scored the first on a 35-yard free kick, used another free kick to assist on Viloria’s goal and scored the third at the end of a nifty sequence of passing and dribbling.
The junior, who also scored twice in Averill Park’s 4-1 semifinal win over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, also played a key defensive role against Schalmont, dropping deeper into the midfield to help the Golden Knights control the game.
“She’s our leading goal scorer. She was out early in the season and she came back to us a little bit late because of an injury, but, besides scoring goals, Teagan does a great job all around,” Tourtellot said. “She defends well. She sets plays off. She has a lot of assists, so she certainly adds to our attack. … She’s very versatile, so we use her in a lot of different spots.”
Advertisement
Numbers to know
-
11:
Goals scored by Averill Park during the Section 2 tournament after the Golden Knights scored just 23 goals during the regular season.
-
9: Goals scored by Schalmont’s Cassano during the tournament. She finished her senior season with 23 goals.
-
8:
Years since Averill Park had last won a Section 2 girls’ soccer title. That 2018 title came during Tourtellot’s first season as an assistant coach.
What’s next
-
Averill Park:
The Golden Knights head into the state tournament Saturday at noon with a regional final against Section 7’s Beekmantown at Niskayuna High School.
-
Schalmont:
Their sectional title streak over, the Sabres finish at 14-4.
Subscribe
There’s more to Albany with the Times Union. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Averill Park wins Section 2 Class A girls’ soccer title in OT, ends Schalmont’s streak.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
