SEQUIM — In the right place at the right time and with the proper angle, Port Angeles freshman Lilly Anne Lancaster sent in the game-winning strike in the final seconds of the second golden goal overtime period to lift the Roughriders to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over rival Sequim.
Far into injury time in the second overtime of Thursday night’s Olympic League girls soccer match, Teagan Clark’s well-placed free kick into the left side of the goal box was headed off the post by Kedryn Descala and deflected across the face of the goal. Lancaster pounced on the loose ball and fired from a tough, low-angle shot back to the left post and in for the winner.
“Nothing about that play was easy,” Riders coach Daniel Horton said. “Teanna looked over and some fans in the crowd were saying ‘Win it T, put it on frame,’ and the coaches told her just put it where you put it in practice. And she puts so much pride in putting the ball in different spots and she placed it right over the top to a group of Riders. There was a great attempt by Keds to head it. Of course it goes off the post because it’s a Sequim vs. Port Angeles match, and it seemed like the ball sat there for a minute. It was a footrace; Lilly was able to get there first and shoot.”
Port Angeles (3-2, 3-3) earned bragging rights and a solo hold on fourth place after the first leg of the Rainshadow Rumble rivalry.
“A bigger win for us, especially because they swept us last year,” Horton said. “We came in, we know what we have and our girls were 100 percent confident that they were going to turn the tables at Sequim. If you were going to ask at the start of the game if it was going to take multiple freshmen to earn the win, I may have questioned it. To get two freshmen to score and get a game-winner, if they weren’t familiar with the Sequim-PA rivalry, they are now.”
The scoreboard, if not the match itself, was in Sequim’s control for much of the game.
Five minutes in, Port Angeles fouled Sequim on the right side of the field, setting up an Amara Gonzalez free kick. Gonzalez sent in a high shot that Port Angeles goalkeeper Kennedy Rognlien did well to get fingers on before the ball found the net.
Kiley Winter’s run down the right side was rewarded with a foul in the goal box and a penalty kick, which Winter converted to the left for a 2-0 Wolves lead three minutes into the second half.
“I wasn’t mad at either of those fouls that led to goals,” Horton said. “They were aggressive plays, not out of control, but fouls.”
Port Angeles managed to flip the momentum completely for the remainder of the contest, getting the rally going in the 49th minute.
“What really made the difference was they kept their same mentality,” Horton said. “The girls were confident going into the game that they were the better team. We talked all week about having a positive mindset and believing in their preparation, and they never strayed from that, even when we went down.”
A Descala shot was deflected out of bounds, setting up a Riders’ corner kick. Clark sent in a right-to-left ball to the near post and freshman Mariah Traband was there for a tap-in header goal.
Clark found the net three minutes later, tying the score at 2-all on an assist by Descala.
The game nearly ended in the final moments of regulation when the ball was sent back toward the Riders’ goal and on to an on-rushing Kiley Winter. Winter beat the lone Port Angeles defender and unleashed a hard shot from right to left, but a diving Kennedy Rognlien was there to preserve the overtime opportunity.
“We are fortunate time and time again to have her back there wearing that neon green,” Horton said. “She stands out, and stands out with big plays.”
The Riders host Bremerton on Tuesday.
Sequim (2-3) hosts North Kitsap on Tuesday.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
Port Angeles Lilly Anne Lancaster, right, celebrates with teammates from left, Mariah Traband, Pyper Alton and Zoe Ernst, after scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime in the Riders 3-2 win over rival Sequim on Thursday. (Michael Dashiell/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
