By Ted Waddell
JEFFERSONVILLE — In Thursday afternoon’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division IV soccer match between the host Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs and the Liberty Lady Indians, the home team came from behind to edge the visitors, 2-1.
After a scoreless first half, Liberty (2-1-1, 0-1 Div. IV) took a 1-0 lead when Paulina Kleinberger scored with 35:50 left in the second half off an assist by Selena Vargas, who received a pass from Amy Hosking.
SW (2-2-1, 1-0 Div. IV) rebounded with a couple of goals to post the victory. Jillian Fife tied it up at 30:18 and Shelby Grishaber scored the winning goal thanks to an assist from Lindsey Bauer at 21:31.
“Oh God, it was great,” said Fife of her game-tying goal. “It was just the adrenaline. It was a big win, we needed it.”
Grishaber used her head to direct the ball into the Lady Indians’ net after taking the pass from Bauer.
“It felt amazing,” Grishaber said of the goal. “They are our rivals and this was the first time we beat them in two years.”
Heather Puerschner, who was the SW goalie in the first half, made two saves. Rachel Dickey took over as the Lady Bulldogs’ keeper in the second half and had six saves.
Dickey deflected a penalty kick by Kleinberger, a shot that if successful would have tied the score at 2-2 and could easily have changed the momentum of the game.
Liberty’s goalie Taylir Lorino had 13 saves.
The Lady Bulldogs posted 18 shots on goal, while the Lady Indians had 15 shots on goal.
SW Coach Mike Ellmauer said he is “very blessed” to have a couple of goalies to choose from.
“Over the years, I’ve only had one keeper who wanted to go in there,” he commented. “This year I have two people that deserve to go in there.”
Ellmauer noted that while Puerschner and Dickey have different styles, they “work well together” and the ability to switch keepers is a tactic used to throw off opponents.
“Having two goalies is a great treasure,” he said.
His take on the game?
“We had some holes to fill, and the kids stepped up to fill those holes and then some,” Ellmauer replied. “It was a win against a quality team.”
Liberty Coach Anne Ramos said, “It was a well-played game against very good competition.
“Our girls did everything they could, and I think it will be a good contest when they come to Liberty [to play us],” Ramos added.