7th heaven
CLARION — Seven turned out to be Freeport’s lucky number Tuesday night.
The Yellowjackets came away empty-handed in their first six corner kicks in their PIAA Class AA girls soccer first-round playoff game against Karns City.
Then in the 75th minute of play, Olivia Gaspersic’s boot from the left of the Gremlin goal found Sidney Shemanski, whose header was too high for KC goalkeeper Hannah Knoll.
It was the deciding goal in the Yellowjackets’ 2-1 victory at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium.
The Gaspersic/Shemanski connection has been key for Freeport this season.
“I try to adapt to her ball. Usually, she puts it in a good spot,” said Shemanski, a freshman forward.
Despite her youth, Shemanski has become a player that her teammates can count on.
“She has come up big for us,” said Freeport coach Brittni Grenninger. “She is one phenomenal athlete. She has nerves of steel and has the skill to back it up.”
Tuesday’s playoff game was a rematch of a regular season contest won by Karns City, 3-2 on Oct. 8.
“We made a lot of mistakes in that game,” said Gaspersic. “We wanted to come out tonight and show we were the better team.”
Five of Freeport’s seven corner kicks Tuesday came in the final 40 minutes. A trio of them were earned in a span of just 2½ minutes early in the second half.
“You can’t give up that many corner kicks and not expect to have one of them lead to a score,” said Karns City coach Tracy Dailey. “Freeport was the better team for much of the game.”
The Gremlins (19-2) took an early lead in the 10th minute. Chelsey Dodds’ centering pass from the left side of the field was initially blocked by a Freeport defender. But before the ball could be cleared, Haley Scherer sent a shot from 25 yards that beat ‘Jacket keeper Cassie Suran.
Freeport got even on a well-timed centering pass of its own. It was Shemanski setting up Kaylee Comperatore in the 19th minute.
Scoring the tying goal not long after falling behind was crucial to Grenninger.
“This was the first game this season which we won when not scoring the first goal,” said Grenninger, who was impressed with the way her team bounced back after a 4-1 loss to Freedom in the WPIAL title game last Thursday.
“I think the pressure got the best of them in that game,” she said. “Tonight, they knew that if they lost, they’d be going home. I’m proud of how they played.”
Knoll was the fourth keeper used by KC this season. She was forced into action due to injuries to the team’s other three netminders. She ended the game with nine saves. The defense in front of her also blocked a number of Freeport shots.
“Hannah came up big for us tonight,” said Dailey. “We knew one goal was going to make the difference tonight, either way. On the way up here, we even talked about (a possible) overtime.”
Suran made five saves for the Yellowjackets (16-4-1), who will face District 10 champion Hickory in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
“This is the first time for our program to win a state playoff game. It’s amazing,” said Grenninger, a former standout player at Karns City. “Having it come against my alma mater, it might mean a little bit more.”
