Published: May 11, 2008 12:59 am            

Third time no charm for North

Union tops Lady Huskies 1-0 in overtime for Class 6A state title

TULSA – Don’t try to tell Edmond North head soccer coach Jessica Dickerson that a third time is a charm.

Odds are, she won’t buy it.

For the third straight year, the North girls’ soccer team earned a spot in the class 6A state finals and for the third year, they suffered a bitter defeat as they lost 1-0 to Tulsa Union at the University of Tulsa Soccer Complex Friday night.

The Huskies battled tooth and nail with Tulsa Union for 40 minutes to a scoreless tie, forcing a sudden death overtime, but it was not s scenario that Dickerson and her Huskies were familiar with against the cross-state foe.

North handed Union one of their two losses, a 2-1 win in a shootout several weeks ago so it was not unchartered territory for the Lady Huskies.

“Our girls were really relaxed, almost too relaxed,” said Dickerson after the loss. “I really liked our chances as we went farther into the game. I was not going to guarantee a win, but I really liked our chances.”

The hopes faded in a hurry with just 1:44 left in the sudden death overtime when Hillary Cockrell boomed a left footer over the outstretched arms of North keeper Skylar Rossen that curved into the top right of the net for the win.

North held the momentum in the first half as they had several opportunities to score.

Shayna Kindsvater had an opportunity when she rocketed a shot from the left side of the box with nine minutes gone but the shot went wide.

Another opportunity presented itself when Julie Rossen was fed a nice leader pass and tried to curve the ball into he corner of the net. She beat Union keeper Lauren Wasson but the ball rolled across the front of the net.

In the second period, Union was able to control the tempo of the game more effectively, but neither squad was able to generate any real offensive threat.

Both teams could only generate a combined 10 shots on goal through the 80 minutes of regulation then just one real shot each in overtime before Cockrell scored with just 1:44 left.

“This is the worst part of coaching,” Dickerson said. “Watching how disappointed these girls are now, that is really tough. The best part is developing the relationships with the players but this part is really hard.”

As the season came to a sudden close. Dickerson emphasized the dedication and effort that the girls put into the season.

“What a great group - I could not have asked for anything more,” Dickerson said. “They gave everything they had tonight but unfortunately, in a game like this, there is a winner and there has to be a loser. It was a great season and we gave everything that we had, I am very proud of what we accomplished and these girls will too as soon as the hurt wears off.”

The Lady Huskies end their season with a record of 15-2.

        

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