Marshall strikes with two seconds left to lift Chippewa past Norwayne

CRESTON - Much like the great rivalries, one can throw out any preconceived notions when Norwayne and Chippewa girls soccer teams clash.

There is simply no way to predict what will ensue for the next 80 minutes and case in point, Saturday afternoon when these two area giants renewed their acquaintances with Chippewa winning 1-0 in the closing seconds.

In a clash that was controlled thoroughly by the Chipps, the Bobcats nearly pulled out a tie. In many books, that would have been as good as a win.

"We played very strong, I didn't like scoring in the last minute, but we still scored," said Chippewa coach Ruth Coney. "I didn't doubt, I just knew that it would eventually go in. Their goalkeeper had a really great game today, and she made some amazing saves."

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In the end though, sophomore Delaney Marshall and junior Cally West had their own ideas, but they nearly ran out of time. West settled a ball on the far wing with about 10 seconds remaining in regulation, saw Marshall had a better look inside and smoothly passed it to the feet of the sophomore. Marshall calmly turned and buried it just inside the near post and past an outstretched attempt by Norwayne goalkeeper Morgan Hamby with exactly two seconds left on the clock.

"It was a blur, it happened so fast," said Marshall. "We were just trying to find feet; we had defenders right on us and so we'd look for more feet to pass it, too. It was all just really fast touches, but it was all on the ground and clean, so it was easy to get a shot off."

"I was on the outside, I knew there was just 10 seconds left, so I had to do anything I could to touch the ball," added West. "My angle wasn't as good as Delaney's; I saw she was open, so I passed it, and she had a great shot."

As for when the ball found the back of the net?

"I literally couldn't believe it," said Marshall. "I didn't know what the time was, I didn't look at it, I didn't know how many seconds were left on it, I was just hoping the ball would go in, and I am so happy that it did."

For a team that outshot the Bobcats 37-2, it was that last gasp that proved to be just enough to lift them past their rival. What stood in their way and nearly stole the show was the play of the backline of Brooke Mullins, Maddy Kate Wolf, Carrie Graham and Molly Gasser. That quartet showed their grit, toughness and mental fortitude as they withstood charge after charge and limited the Chipps to 15 contested shots on the frame.

"They are always great and always positioned well," said Hamby. "They always have my backside if I go out, and I know that I can trust them to go out whenever I need to."

When Chippewa did get through, Hamby showed her mettle time and time again, making one standout save after another. Never was she put through the grinder more than in those final four minutes when she shined the brightest.

"They were intense, but you just got to do it," said Hamby. "Give it your all and hope for the best, that's all you can do."

With four minutes remaining in the game, she leaped high just steps in front of her frame, to deflect a cross on a corner from Chipp midfielder Mia Rodriguez. The ball deflected back into the fray and toward the frame, where Hamby had to slide in a physical collision, to deny Marshall at point-blank range. Then with about 1:40 remaining, she blocked a shot from West and then reeled in the ricochet to clean it up.

"She did really well, she was great," said Marshall. "She always knew where we were going with the ball, she really read the game well."

"(Hamby) had great awareness and she stopped a lot of great shots," added West.

Hamby finished her day with 14 saves but made countless more plays in her box as she showed complete authority and ownership of her space on the pitch.

"She got in some last year and made some big saves," said Norwayne coach Jason Zimmerly. "Today, she was great, she was tremendous and did a phenomenal job in-between the pipes and it's definitely something she can grow from.

"Defensively, I was very happy, we wanted to put pressure on them anytime they got the ball," he added. "We didn't sit back and wait, because if you do that to Chippewa, they will make you pay. They just had a great opportunity; great look and they made the most of it."

The Bobcats' best chance came about 10 minutes into the second half when Maya Rickett fired a free kick from about 35 yards out toward the frame. Arching toward the near post, the ball deflected off the post, back into play and it would be snuffed out by the Chippewa defense. For host Norwayne, that proved to be one of its few chances to crack the scoreboard as it only came close twice.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Marshall strikes with two seconds left to lift Chippewa past Norwayne