PALMYRA 鈥 Rory Basel nearly passed out. She admitted afterward she didn鈥檛 have the energy for penalty kicks.
But after 100 minutes of hot and humid scoreless soccer and one successful PK away from the state title game, the sophomore midfielder needed to exhaust whatever life she had left.
Stepping up to the ball, the righty angled a center-net shot that snuck under the crossbar with the opposing keeper moving left.
History made.
鈥淚t was really stressful, but I felt like I had to pull through for this team and how hard we鈥檝e worked all season,鈥 Basel said. 鈥淲e really needed the win in this game.鈥
Scottie Leonard (left) hugs a teammate as Cave Spring celebrates its win over Brentsville on penalty kicks in a Class 3 state semifinal Friday.
The goal gave the Cave Spring High School girls soccer team a 4-3 victory on penalty kicks, sending the nearly entire underclassmen squad to the program鈥檚 first-ever state championship game, knocking off two-time defending state champ Brentsville District in the Class 3 state semifinals Friday afternoon at Fluvanna County High School.
People are also reading…
鈥淚 think my heart is about to explode. My blood pressure is also through the roof,鈥 Knights second-year coach Erin Smith said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e earned this win. We knew it was going to be this tough, we knew we were going to be in this kind of situation, especially with a team like Brentsville, but they don鈥檛 stop, and you can鈥檛 beat a team that doesn鈥檛 give up.鈥
Basel鈥檚 winning goal wouldn鈥檛 have come without a massive save from freshman keeper Lila Mueller on the previous PK attempt. Tigers goalie Haley Garber, who herself had a phenomenal game in net, took her team鈥檚 fifth attempt with the shootout tied 3-3. Mueller dove to her right on the shot and deflected it with two hands.
Riley Guzo celebrates after Cave Spring beat Brentsville District in the Class 3 state semifinals Friday at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra.
鈥淚 had a hunch that she might go that way,鈥 Mueller said. 鈥淎nd once I saw where she was going once she started to kick, I just fully committed and got it.鈥
Mueller was strong in regulation and overtime between the posts as the Knights recorded their 18th clean sheet of the season. They鈥檝e allowed just three goals all season and none since May 2.
鈥淚 really believed that we could do it. That was a big part of it,鈥 Mueller said. 鈥淚 knew that we were right there, we almost had it a couple of times, but you鈥檝e just got to stay strong.鈥
The Cave Spring girls soccer team celebrates after beating Brentsville District on penalty kicks in a Class 3 state semifinal Friday at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra.
Cave Spring (21-0) and Brentsville (15-3-3) went tit-for-tat through the first four rounds of PKs. Gabriella Carnevali answered the Tigers鈥 first-try goal, then after Brentsville missed wide left in the second round, Lucia Pietravalle dinked one off the right post.
The Tigers then converted their next two, as did the Knights thanks to goals from Abigail Tozier and Riley Guzo, leaving only the final and fateful round.
鈥淭hey have built a legacy that鈥檚 kind of unshakeable,鈥 said Smith, a Cave Spring alumna. 鈥淭he work that they鈥檝e put in that I鈥檝e been able to see, I had no doubt that they were going to be able to be here, but it鈥檚 just part of who they are.鈥
Cave Spring's Rory Basel (right) tries to block a kick from Brentsville District's Cara Lawhead during a Class 3 girls soccer state semifinal Friday at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra.
Cave Spring will face Western Albemarle (14-4-2) in Saturday鈥檚 state title game. Kickoff is slated for 9 a.m. at Fluvanna County High School.
鈥淚t means everything to be the first team to ever get to this point,鈥 Basel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just so special, and with this amazing group of girls who get to be with me, I鈥檓 just enjoying every second I get to be with them.鈥
