BELLBROOK - On Election Night, some 33 miles from their home pitch, Mason High School's girls soccer team faced the opponent who had eliminated the Comets the year before.
Mason's girls battled all night long and kept the pressure on Centerville much of the night. However, after 80 minutes of play, neither team had scored. Even with two more 15-minute overtimes, no balls reached the back of the net.
The game came down to penalty kicks with each squad given five tries. Through four, each team scored. But, on Mason's fifth, Centerville's star goalkeeper Allison Colopy stopped Elise Haller's shot.
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That left Centerville sophomore Audi Rhyner. When her kick whistled by Mason freshman keeper Annaliese Knight, the Elks stormed the field with yet another postseason win over Mason, advancing on penalty kicks.
"I knew it was going to be a defensive battle," Centerville coach Jim Gobrail said. "We both struggled to score goals. I'm kind of not surprised that it took extra time and PKs to finish it."
He also wasn't surprised Colopy, Greater Western Ohio Conference Player of the Year, made the key play.
"She's been a big-time player for us all season," Gobrail said. "You count on your senior leadership to step up and deliver in those big moments."
Said Colopy of the kicks, "I was just trying to keep my confidence. It's hard. You just try to stay positive and hope your team does well."
Centerville had a leisurely six-mile drive to the assigned site at Bellbrook High School, while Mason traveled about 41 minutes.
Mason last beat Centerville in the 2018 postseason, 1-0. Comets coach Andrew Schur had the unenviable task of trying to console his seniors after such a dramatic fight Tuesday.
"It's a very unique experience losing your last game of your high school career," Schur said. "Only one team gets to celebrate a win at the end of their career. I feel bad for my kids. They played their guts out. PKs is never a fun way to have it end."
The first half saw each team get a corner kick and few shots on goal. Centerville goalkeeper Colopy or Mason freshman Knight scooped up those that did come in.
The Elks did have a small offensive surge late in the half, but Knight stopped kicks from Centerville's Taylor Koch to keep zeroes on the board.
Mason had a couple of early threats to start the second half, but Colopy was able to ward them off and an offsides call stopped a possible breakaway opportunity.
GWOC first-team selection Hailey Jeng had the game's best shot around the 30-minute mark but it sailed over the crossbar. Mason then had a free kick when Shannon Crogan was tripped, but Colopy swallowed up the ball again.
Centerville's Koch had a good cross with 12 minutes to go, but the ball didn't find a leg, much to Mason fans' relief. At just under seven minutes, the Comets couldn't convert another free kick and Colopy snared a corner out of the air at just under four minutes.
For the second consecutive game for both teams, the game required an overtime period. On this night, they played two extra periods with both defenses holding the other down.
"Colopy made a couple really big plays in the second overtime there when we really thought we had a goal," Schur said. "She came up big and that's what big players do in big moments."
Colopy pumped her fist at the Centerville students who had gathered near the end of the field after stopping Mason's last shot. Rhyner then deposited the next ball to advance the Elks to Saturday's game with Mount Notre Dame.
The Cougars beat Beavercreek in the other regional semi. They also recently defeated Centerville 1-0 on Oct. 16.
Mason finishes 13-3-4 with their first loss since paying MND on Sept. 11. Centerville is 15-3-2 going into Saturday's regional final with the undefeated Cougars.
"We're looking forward to a rematch," Gobrail said.
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