Kentwood 2, Skyview 1 (PKs)
Shootout sorrow: Kentwood made eight of nine kicks to beat Skyvikew 8-7 in the penalty-kick tiebreaker and earn a spot in the Class 4A girls soccer finale.
Late drama: Sheaffer Skadsen’s improbable goal from 30 yards away tied the game for Skyview with only 2:46 to play.
Third place game: Skyview vs. Skyline, noon today at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
LAKEWOOD — The Skyview girls soccer team has been eyeing Skyline for a while.
The Storm will get its shot today at the top-rated team in the nation. It just won’t be on the stage they’d been shooting for.
Kentwood 2, Skyview 1 (PKs)
Shootout sorrow: Kentwood made eight of nine kicks to beat Skyvikew 8-7 in the penalty-kick tiebreaker and earn a spot in the Class 4A girls soccer finale.
Late drama: Sheaffer Skadsen's improbable goal from 30 yards away tied the game for Skyview with only 2:46 to play.
Third place game: Skyview vs. Skyline, noon today at Harry Lang Stadium in Lakewood.
Kentwood won a penalty-kick shootout late Friday to defeat Skyview in the Class 4A state semifinals at Harry Lang Stadium. The tiebreaker was needed after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through 90 minutes.
The Conquerors won the shootout 8-7 in nine rounds, with Kentwood goalkeeper Courtney Johnson blocking two Skyview kicks.
The result means Skyview will play Skyline at noon today for third place. Tahoma stunned top-ranked Skyline 1-0 in Friday’s other 4A semifinal match.
There was a stunning turn in the Storm’s match as well.
Kentwood dominated the first half and led 1-0. Skyview, playing with the wind and with more confidence, was better after halftime. But the Storm was getting desperate before junior Sheaffer Skadsen’s half-volley from 30 yards tied the match with 2:46 left in the second half.
Skadsen’s shot was a high rainbow that fell just under the crossbar.
“I just popped it over a defender, ran through it, and got whatever I could on it to get it towards the goal,” Skadsen said. “We were running low on time, so everything had to be shoved at the goal at that point.”
The ball came to Skadsen on the left side of midfield after Becca Sikora and Illeana Zaballa combined to win possession.
Skyview hadn’t possessed the ball much in the attacking third as Kentwood dominated the midfield — especially in the first half when it had the wind at its back.
The Conquerors seemed dangerous all night long, but except a terrific individual play by their left back, they couldn’t beat Skyview keeper Hannah Johnson and the Storm defense.
“They were coming in waves and we were kind of taken aback because we weren’t used to (the pace),” senior defender Allie Townsend said. “This is a really high level of soccer and we’re not used to it. We had to come out here and we had to warm up to it. At the end you can tell we got better.”
Skyview coach Darin DeGrande said his team seemed nervous in the first half.
“Halftime didn’t come fast enough for us,” he said.
That’s because 5:30 before the break Kentwood’s Megan McNally made a terrific run up the left sideline, cut to the right near the top of the penalty area and launched a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar on its way into the goal.
Kentwood continued to press the play in the second half, but Skyview was better at matching the Conquerors’ effort over the last 40 minutes of regulation, and the 10 overtime minutes.
“It was a lot more even match in the second half.” DeGrande noted. “We asked the girls to keep playing for 80 minutes and they did that.”
“We were out there playing hard. We knew we had a chance. Sheaffer just took that one last little reach and it was like a miracle when it went in the goal.”
At that point, it seemed the magic might be on Skyview’s sideline.
But in the shootout, it turned out to be Kentwood’s night. Kentwood made eight of nine kicks. Skyview made seven of nine.
Skyview’s Johnson extended the tiebreaker past five rounds with a diving save in the fifth round.
The Storm led only once during the tense shootout.
Skadsen wasn’t allowed to shoot during the shootout because she had problems related to her diabetes at the end of the second overtime.
Both she and coach DeGrande said it was probably best that the trainer didn’t allow her to shoot.
It was a tough way to see a championship dream end. But, the Storm will get their shot at Skyline.
“Our goal was to play Skyline this year,” Townsend said. “We get to play them anyway, so I think we’re going to play a good game tomorrow (Saturday).”
