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Browse by City/ StateGirls' soccer: South Oldham downs Mustangs again, 1-0
Marissa Williams labored on crutches on Labor Day.
But Wednesday night the South Oldham High School junior didn't show a hint of a hobble on the soccer field. She scored late in the first half in the host Dragons' 1-0 victory over North Oldham in a rematch of last year's Eighth Region final and a matchup of top-15 teams.
"I didn't think I was going to be able to go," said Williams, who has been impeded for a week by an injury to her left calf. "But I told myself I was going to try because it was a rival game and a district game."
It was the third straight one-goal game between the teams that was won by South Oldham. The Dragons won 1-0 in a shootout in last season's 16th District final, then 2-1 in the Eighth Region final before Wednesday's first meeting this season.
But South Oldham (6-3), No.13 in the state coaches' poll, had to survive a penalty kick with 1:14 to play to beat No.15 North Oldham (8-2-1) for the third straight time.
Shots were few and futile until the 32nd minute, when Williams made a run down the right side and rocketed a shot that North Oldham goalie Erin Ottoman deflected.
"It got me going, definitely, because I was going to be very disappointed if I didn't score after almost scoring then," Williams said.
Less than two minutes later she took a throw-in from Haddie DeHart on the opposite side of the field.
"She threw it to my feet, the girl was right at my back, so I just turned and shot," Williams said.
Her right-footer, from about 20 yards out, found the net with 7:04 left in the first half.
"I think it was a pretty direct ball until it got to the goalkeeper, then it dipped on her," South Oldham coach Cy Tucker said. "It looked like she was ready to take the ball at about her waist, then it dipped on her at the last second."
"It was a knuckleball," Williams said of her seventh goal of the season. "If you shoot right it does that."
The Mustangs had a chance to answer less than a minute later, but a 30-yard chip by Paige Napier was saved by South Oldham keeper Meredith Miles.
The Dragons had a chance to add to their lead in the fourth minute of the second half when Molly Fiser found Williams on the far post with a corner kick. Williams headed the ball back toward the opposite post, but North Oldham's Samantha Hill was there to kick the shot out.
The Mustangs had an opportunity two minutes later, but South Oldham midfielder Brooke Haysley was there to send the ball out of the box after Miles missed on her dive for Jillian Smith's cross.
With 1:14 to play Fiser was whistled for a foul on North Oldham's Lauren Elliott in the box, but Sloane Costelle's penalty kick bounced off the crossbar.
"I stopped one of hers before, last season," Miles said. "I figured she'd probably take it the same way. I was anticipating it going to the right, but I waited to see where it went. Luckily it went over (my head)."
"I thought we played pretty well ... we just weren't direct enough to the goal," North Oldham coach Ann Revell said.
