CPHS Soccer: Sandites fall 2-1 to Union in OT, Esparza ends team scoring drought

Three nights after snapping a four-game losing streak in an overtime shootout, the Charles Page High School girls’ soccer team (6-6, 1-4) snapped yet another streak, scoring their first goal in a month. Though the Lady Sandites fell 2-1 in sudden victory overtime to Union (6-7, 2-3) and were eliminated from playoff contention, they got a moral victory when Ari Esparza ended a five-match scoring drought.

The visitors were the aggressors for most of the night, outshooting the Sandites sixteen to four. But all those shots amounted to only two goals. Germari Harris had a close call in the 7th minute that barely caught the post and spat out. Sophomore goalie Ali Day recorded ten saves, and a few other shots were just a hair wide or high.

Rachel Wheeler scored the lone regulation goal for Union in the 57th minute with an assist from Mackenzie Malham, but Esparza sent one just over the Redskin keeper’s fingertips to tie it in the 68th minute.

Union loaded the Sandite box during a hectic 77th minute and took a pair of shots, but both bounced off Sandite defenders. Day saved a shot from Holli Meyer in the 78th and deflected a corner kick from Raquel Fanelli with just nine seconds left. Malham took one last shot as time expired that traveled a hair wide to the left.

The Redskins came ready to rumble in overtime, however, and needed only eighteen seconds to score the golden goal on a double-assist that had Day trying to cover three directions at once.

Sand Springs has only two matches left, both on the road. The girls will travel to Owasso (12-1, 5-0) Tuesday and Capitol Hill (3-6, 0-3) Thursday.

District 6A-4 Standings
5-0 Sapulpa (12-1)
5-0 Owasso (12-1)
3-1 Norman (5-5)
2-3 Edmond Santa Fe (3-7)
2-3 Union (6-7)
1-4 Sand Springs (6-6)
0-3 Capitol Hill (3-6)
0-4 Shawnee (3-7)

CPHS Season Stats

Goals
6 Horn
4 Esparza
3 Metcalfe
2 Lynch
1 Watts
1 Deshazo
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Horton
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek

PKs
3 Horn
2 Lynch
2 Deshazo
1 Watts
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Esparza
1 Horton
1 Perry

Total Scoring
9 Horn
5 Esparza
4 Lynch
3 Metcalfe
3 Deshazo
2 Watts
2 Horton
1 Gelsthorpe
1 Patton
1 Burgess
1 Lee
1 Slankard
1 Poletek
1 Perry