AUBURN — The player with the uncontested shot enjoys a decided advantage over the goalkeeper on a soccer penalty kick.
That’s the reason coaches lobby so loudly for one when a player is the victim of a violation inside the 18-yard box. It’s why the crowd goes nuts when they see the official extend both arms over his head in the shape of an ‘x’ and award the opportunity.
It isn’t automatic, though, as Edward Little senior fullback Hannah Smith found out this past Saturday in the Class A East girls’ semifinals against Brunswick.
“The goalie didn’t save it,” Smith said. “I completely missed it. But I would rather have missed that one than this one.”
Sports and life don’t always furnish chances as redemption. Certainly not immediate ones.
But there was Smith, standing over the ball Wednesday with 4:54 remaining in regulation Wednesday, her team trailing Mt. Ararat by a goal in the regional title game.
No pressure. Just like lining it up in the backyard and kicking it against the side of the barn with an imaginary crowd going wild, right?
“I was trying not to think, because the last game when I missed, I over-thought it a lot,” Smith said. “I was just trying to go up and get a goal.”
Smith got it, forcing an overtime in which the Red Eddies rode the crest of the momentum she provided.
Olivia Paione’s blast with just under four minutes expired in that session gave No. 2 EL a 3-2 victory and its first state-game berth since 2001.
“The team had my back and they trusted me,” Smith said. “They knew I could do it.”
So did EL coach Craig Latuscha, who didn’t hesitate for even a half-second in going back to his strongest, most experienced right foot.
“Smitty’s my best PK shooter. Unfortunately the other day against Brunswick she missed one, and I didn’t want her to remember that the rest of her life,” Latuscha said. “We’ve been working on that every day, every practice since the last game. She worked on it for over an hour after practice yesterday.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Smith, junior Sarah Hammond and an assistant coach stayed until the supply of daylight was completely exhausted.
It’s a ritual in which all playoff teams participate, with good reason. Had two, 15-minute, “sudden victory” periods not determined a winner, the championship would have come down to penalty kicks.
“Probably I took about 50, maybe more, give or take,” Smith said. “It definitely helped.”
The physical conditions, including distance and depth, are easier to rehearse than the psychological situation of knowing that the season rides on whether or not the ball finds the back of the net.
“It’s all mental, because if you over-think it, you’re going to hit it right at the goalie, or you’re going to miss the goal completely,” Smith said. “Most people either choose a spot or they shoot for power. I think I did more placement. I was super nervous.”
Mt. Ararat, which tied EL here 2-2 in the lone regular season meeting, had a majority of the scoring chances prior to Smith’s goal.
Torri Pelletier scored twice, and the Eagles applied ample pressure in pursuit of a third. Their body language and the flow of the game were noticeably different after the tying goal.
“I think that took the wind out of our sails,” Mt. Ararat coach Sam Chard said. “You have five minutes left in the game to win the Eastern regional title, and they get a PK out of it. In the overtime I think Edward Little came out stronger.”
Smith’s defense, together with Morgan Knowlton and Hammond, was essential in keeping the game close enough to swipe at the end.
“She plays year-round. She has great touch. You see her on the outside as a fullback. She has moves that would make anybody drool. She’s been on the team for four seasons,” Latuscha said. “I’m going to go with my most experienced varsity fullback who has great touch, and she buried it today, which obviously helped us out.”
So if you see someone launching the ball from the muddy turf into the webbing as dusk settles Thursday or Friday at Auburn Heights, you can safely bet it’s Smith.
She might have to deal with all this drama again in a state final, after all.
“It’s unbelievable,” Smith said. “I’ve never been happier.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
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