Terre Haute North’s Riley Dowell scored on the 10th penalty kick to give the Cougars a 4-3 shootout win over Bloomington North after 94 minutes of scoreless soccer in the Class 3A Mooresville Sectional opener on Monday, Oct. 5.
Both teams exhausted every effort on the field, but neither could break the deadlock through regulation and overtime. The match remained 0-0, pushing the decision to penalties where the tension finally broke in the 10th round.
“They gave us everything,” Terre Haute North coach Samantha MacNeil said. “I think it got to the point both teams started to get fatigued, especially in the second half and overtime.”
The shootout was extended, with the score tied 2-2 after four successful attempts and two misses—one wide right for Terre Haute and one off the left post for Bloomington North. The decisive moment came when Patriots keeper Lily Emge saved North’s fourth kick, which swung momentum in Terre Haute’s favour. Siah Chew converted her shot to put the Cougars ahead 3-2, and Dowell followed Caroline Farmer’s successful attempt by slotting her shot low and left, just out of reach of Bloomington North’s keeper Isobel O’Leary.
“Not the way you want your season to end, for sure,” MacNeil said of the shootout. “Got to get the job done before you get to that point. Unfortunately, none of the shots dropped into the back of the net tonight.”
The Cougars had won their regular-season meeting 2-0 but started Monday’s match with immediate pressure, earning a corner kick within the first three minutes. Bloomington North controlled much of the early possession, prompting MacNeil to praise their opponents’ play. “That was some beautiful Bloomington North soccer there,” she said.
Terre Haute North gradually balanced the play, with both teams registering three corners and a few shots on goal in the first 40 minutes. The Cougars pursued an aggressive approach throughout, aiming to settle the match within 80 minutes.
“Our strategy was to go out and get it done in 80 minutes,” MacNeil said. “We kept pushing and pushing and did our best, but we just didn’t have it tonight.”
The offensive pressure from Terre Haute waned in the second half as fatigue set in, but their defensive resilience limited the Patriots to few meaningful chances. Most of Bloomington North’s attempts came from outside the box, making routine saves for keeper O’Leary.
O’Leary made several critical stops, including a near-goal from a 30-yard curving shot that she batted over the crossbar in the 38th minute, and a last-ditch block on a goalmouth cross in the final minutes of regulation. Early in overtime, she also got a foot on one of the Cougars’ best opportunities.
“She made some amazing saves,” MacNeil said. “We’re going to miss her a lot. We’re going to miss all our seniors a lot next year.”
The Patriots honoured their seniors on the opening kickoff, including Lena Henschel, who started despite being on crutches. MacNeil reflected on the group she has coached for three years: “It’s definitely tough to say good-bye to them.”
The Cougars will move on in the sectional, but the match’s scoreless nature and the length of the shootout underscored the close contest between two teams that matched each other’s intensity until the very end.
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