Junior forward Kennedy Little scored the only goal in a pivotal penalty shootout as the Fort Mill girls soccer team defeated crosstown rival Nation Ford 2-2 (1-0 on penalty kicks) in a Region 3-5A tussle Tuesday night at Nation Ford High School.
Little scored the first penalty kick, then watched as each of the next nine kick-takers either missed the target or saw their effort saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
Both teams entered the shootout after finishing 80 minutes of regulation tied 2-2, then pushing through two bonus five-minute overtime periods.
But Little’s penalty kick, which flew into the top-right corner of the net, was enough to hand Fort Mill (1-3-1, 1-1 Region 3-5A) its first win of the 2023 season.
“It’s always nerve-wracking with the crosstown rivals,” said Fort Mill head coach Joelle Brotemarkle. “The girls stuck it out. I see this as a really important win. It’ll be a turning point for the region.”
Nation Ford (5-3, 0-1 in region) clawed its way back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to push the game to overtime. And the Lady Falcons were unlucky not to steal a win at the very end of the second half with a tantalizing free kick from 30 yards out that hung in the air before falling just beyond the far post.
Falcons head coach Christopher Dundr said nerves and luck just weren’t on his team’s side.
“It’s an awful way to end the game, especially during the regular season,” he said. “It’s a good learning experience. This game was tight, this region is tight.”
Fort Mill took a 2-0 lead at halftime, thanks to early goals by Little and sophomore forward Rhyia Mitchell.
Little took advantage of an errant pass to slot a low shot past Nation Ford freshman goalkeeper Peyton Creasman in the 25th minute to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
That looked to be the halftime score until Mitchell unleashed a blistering run down the near side on a counterattack from a Nation Ford chance late in stoppage time of the first half. When the ball popped out to the left wing, Mitchell outran a Nation Ford defender about 30 yards, then smacked a hard, left-footed shot past Creasman to double the Yellow Jackets’ lead.
Nation Ford had few promising chances in the opening half, but senior midfielder Varinia Delgado pushed the pace on the right wing to help give the Falcons their best attempts on goal.
Dundr said his team entered the second half with a focus on putting more pressure on Fort Mill and force mistakes.
The Falcons took advantage of two key set pieces, including one in the opening three minutes of the second half. Mia Mitchell converted a free kick from nearly 30 yards away that beat Fort Mill’s sophomore goalkeeper Jasalyn Cash at the far post.
Fifteen minutes later, Delgado poked home the tying goal from a free kick on the far side with 21 minutes to play, sparking a wave of belief on the Nation Ford sideline.
“The early goal gave us momentum,” Dundr said. “We had more opportunities in the second half, and it was more open.”
Outside of the 80th minute free kick, neither team could muster up a strong opportunity to win the game in regulation, leading to two fruitless overtime periods.
That’s when Little stepped forward to make a big impact.
“Our communication is getting better,” Brotemarkle said. “No matter what happened today with the shootout, we’re going to get better. It was a really good game to work through.”
Up next for Fort Mill is a Friday, March 10 game against Byrnes. Nation Ford host Clover next week in a home region game Tuesday, March 14.
