SR, KC settle for 2-2 deadlock
KARNS CITY — Competition, they sought.
Competition, they got.
Slippery Rock and Karns City played to a 2-2 double-overtime girls soccer tie Wednesday at Diehl Stadium.
“We try to play teams from other districts, other regions, and this is the reason why,” Slippery Rock coach Sarah Vermilya said. “This was a great game.
“Our region hasn't been very strong these past couple of years, so we relish this kind of game just before playoffs.”
The host Gremlins (13-0-1) held on at the end, managing only one shot on net in the two 10-minute overtime periods. Still, KC nearly grabbed the victory when Emma Dailey drilled a shot just wide of the right post with seven seconds left in the first overtime.
Slippery Rock (11-2-1) had a slight 8-7 edge in shots on net, but had eight corner kicks to none for KC on the day.
“I usually sub kids in and out in the first half and second half, based on a lot of the scores of our games this year,” Gremlins coach Tracy Dailey said. “Today, I didn't do that.
“This game was tight throughout and our kids have to get used to playing a hard 80 minutes or more. That's how it's going to be in the playoffs.”
Both teams had the lead in the contest. The Rockets scored first as Amanda Lewis took a pass across the front of the goal box from Emily Raine and drilled a shot high into the left corner of the net with 1:26 left in the first half.
Seconds later, Slippery Rock lost senior Olivia Elliott to an apparent knee injury. She was taken off the field on a cart.
Karns City freshman forward McKenna Martin scored a pair of goals in the second half. She took a pass through traffic from Alexis Moore and rolled a shot into the right corner of the net with 35:47 left in regulation.
Martin — who has a team-leading 27 goals on the year — deftly deked the ball away from a defender and broke clear in the box, rolling another shot past goalkeeper Julia Hart with 27:45 left. That gave KC a 2-1 lead.
Hart had five saves while KC netminder Rossi McMillin stopped six shots.
“McKenna plays this game hard,” Dailey said. “She knows a lot of the Slippery Rock girls because they all play on the Century (club) team together. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses.”
Martin's two goals came during a Breast Cancer Awareness game. Her mother, Stacy Martin, is battling the disease.
Karns City fans were wearing pink shirts with Stacy Martin and Joyce Stahlman's names on the back. The latter is senior forward Brooke Stahlman's mother.
“McKenna and my daughter Emma are best friends,” Dailey said. “We're all very close to the situation. We're fighting the battle along with them.”
Kayla Daugherty, one of Slippery Rock's captains, tied the game with 17:04 left in regulation by scoring on a penalty kick from 12 yards out.
“Had we started this game the way we finished it, we would have a lot more opportunities to score,” Vermilya said. “But we did play well at the end.
“Amanda Lewis was forcing a lot of chances offensively. She was really going hard at the end.”
The best scoring chance by either team in extra time occurred when Daughtery drilled a shot off the crossbar with 3:58 left in the second overtime.
Both teams play at home Saturday. Slippery Rock hosts Meadville at 10 a.m. while Karns City hosts Sharpsville at 1 p.m.
