Being a low-seeded playoff team who hadn't seen the field in two
weeks, the expectations were low for Jayden and her Florida Hawks
teammates going into today's matchup with the West Florida Flames
Jazz team. The girls weren't fazed, however, and played a great game
today. The first half was dominated by the Flames, as they would
manage to take eight shots on goal to just a single Hawks attempt.
Thankfully most of them weren't high quality shots, and those that
were found the Hawks goalkeeper up to the task. The two teams would
head to halftime without scoring a single goal.
The Hawks looked like a different team to start the second half.
They took four of the first five shots of the half, but weren't able
to convert on any of them. The final water break hit and the two
teams were still scoreless. After the break the Hawks kept
attacking, including a shot off of Jayden's foot. Finally, on their
third attempt they managed to break the tie, giving themselves a 1-0
lead after knocking in a rebound that the Flames keeper couldn't
corral. Unfortunately, their lead didn't last long, as the Flames
scored on their very next shot, thanks to a nice pass that found its
way through the box to the foot of a Flames attacker who was able to
send the ball past the Hawks keeper to knot the score at a goal
apiece. Both teams would have chances to regain the lead, but
neither could do so before the final whistle blew.
With the game ending in a draw, it was off to overtime, with up
to two five minute sessions to be played if needed. There wasn't a
lot of scoring opportunities for either team, with the Flames
managing the lone shot during the first overtime session. The Hawks
managed the lone shot of the now necessary second overtime, and they
didn't convert. When the whistle blew signaling the end of overtime,
it was off to penalty kicks.
Each team picked five shooters to face off against the opposing
keepers. The Hawks converted their first attempt, and then managed
to stop the Flames shot, giving them the early edge. Both teams
missed their second attempts and converted on their third, with the
Hawks still holding the edge. The Hawks would miss their fourth
attempt, but the Flames buried theirs, evening up the shootout at 2
goals each. Both teams would miss their final attempts, which would
mean extra shooters would be required. Round six resulted in two
more misses, so we head to round seven to see if things can be
settled. The Flames were shooting first, and they were unable to
score on their attempt. The Hawks made their attempt count, scoring
to win the shootout by a 3-2 margin, and the game by a 2-1 score.
Way to go Hawks! On to the Championship game you go! |