Overtime Heartbreaker

Defending state champs nip Greenville Lady Lions in playoff
March 26, 2011

By David Claybourn
Herald-Banner Sports Editor

McKINNEY -- Greenville's Lady Lions went toe to toe for 60 minutes with two-time defending state soccer champion Richardson Pearce before giving way to the Lady Mustangs in an overtime shootout on Friday.

The Lady Lions battled Pearce to a scoreless deadline for 40 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes in the Class 4A bi-district playoff before the Lady Mustangs won the shootout, 3-0.

Hayley Kerr, Kaitlyn Fletcher and Hannah Tessaro scored for Pearce on its first three attempts in the shootout. Greenville goalkeeper Brandy Gray got her hands on Fletcher's shot but the ball still made its way into the net.

Bailey Phillips and Stephany Luna of Greenville misfired on their two shootout attempts. Pearce goalkeeper Rosa Medina saved Maddy Crabtree's shot to end the match.

Pearce, which won the 4A title in 2009 and 2010, advances to the area round to play either Frisco Centennial or Prosper.

The Lady Lions end the season with a 16-6 record.

Greenville coach Ryan Dunlevy said he was proud of the Lady Lions' performance against Pearce, which is now 10-6-5 for the season.

"I couldn't have asked anything better out of them," he said. "They just took the two-time state champions to a shootout."

Dunlevy said he was proud of the team's leadership.

"I'm sad that it ended here," he said. "We gained respect with people with this game. We put Greenville soccer on the map...It ends the best year in the history of the program."

Pearce played the last six minutes of regulation and both 10-minute overtimes a player short after one of the Lady Mustangs' defenders was red-carded for grabbing Crabtree's jersey and pulling her down to the turf. Crabtree was headed for a breakway shot at the goal.

"It was one on one with the keeper," said the Greenville sophomore forward.

Pearce marked Crabtree very closely and forcefully throughout the match. Crabtree got knocked down numerous times and took a hard blow to the lower back from behind during a break in the action that caused her to become sick to the stomach and leave the game for several minutes.

Crabtree said she knew it was going to be a hard match but didn't expect it to get that physical.

"They're a good, physical team," said Dunlevy. "Our girls responded well."

Pearce had a 6-2 advantage in shots in the first half, including a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal as Lady Lion goalkeeper Ellen Robins made five saves.

Robins made a big save with 24:47 left.

Crabtree had the only shot on goal in the first 10-minute overtime.

Both teams showed fatigue in the second 10-minute overtime.

Pearce went first in the shootout and Kerr set the tone with a shot into the lower right third of the net.