Middle Creek, Panther Creek girls soccer play to a draw

Despite 33 shots combined and rapid exchanges of momentum between Southwest Wake foes Middle Creek and Panther Creek, only two goals were left to split in a 1-1 draw after regulation and overtime.

Middle Creek dominated possession early on, and reaped the rewards in the seventh minute as Mattie Murphy’s low cross was placed perfectly at the near post for an easy finish by Belmont Abbey recruit Ally Elliot.

The Mustangs didn’t let up after scoring once.

Camryn Amaker’s pacey runs and skilled play kept the Catamounts’ on their toes, but Amaker was never able to quite get the ball on target efforts to continuously feed her possession.

“We need to finish more, we’ve been working on it all week,” Middle Creek coach Guy Coleman said. “Every other aspect of our game is spot on.”

Panther Creek coach David Grant lauded sophomore defender Lauren Reichardt’s relentless effort marking Amaker for the full 100 minutes.

“Hands down the player of the game. We put a lot of responsibility on her, marking (Amaker) for the whole game,” he said. “Even on a bum ankle, she played through it. She stayed with her, brought pressure and putting all that on her was asking a lot.”

Though they were outnumbered in shots for much of the first half, Panther Creek regained their composure and momentum started to swing as the teams went into the halftime break.

12 minutes into the second half, the Catamounts gave Mustang goalkeeper Caroline Lauer more than she could handle. After a rocket free kick from Lindsay Haney destined for the upper ninety was parried away for a corner, the ball got into a scrum inside the six-yard box and Sydney Rucker swooped in to knock in the equalizer.

“Second half was a complete role reversal,” Grant said.

The teams traded a fair share of blows on offense, but the play of Lauer and Panther Creek goalkeeper Katherine Hammond kept the score stagnant through overtime.

Turning point

Sydney Rucker’s goal gave the Catamounts the confidence boost they needed to keep their work rate up for the remainder of the match.

“Panther Creek is a team that comes on strong in the second (half), they got their goal and we couldn’t get a second,” Coleman said. “This is a bad tie for me. I’d rather win or lose.”

Three to know

Carolina Lauer, Middle Creek: Lauer notched a game-high seven saves.

“She’s one of the best in the state and we’re lucky to have her,” Coleman said. “The score wouldn’t be the same if she wasn’t there.”

Katherine Turner, Middle Creek: Turner excelled on the right wing, creating a plethora of chances for her team while also hustling to get back on defense when Panther Creek initiated its counterattack.

Lauren Reichardt, Panther Creek: Reichardt’s work rate was unparalleled by anyone else on the pitch, allowing her to be the anchor of the back line and also contribute on offense.

What worked

Despite only finding the back of the net once, Panther Creek’s was the most dangerous in the aftermath of set pieces, whether that be from the corner flag or a free kick.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Middle Creek, Panther Creek girls soccer play to a draw."