Backup goalkeeper stars in penalty kick shootout as Hanover girls soccer heads to finals

WEYMOUTH - Specialization is common in many sports.

In football you have short-yardage backs, third-down backs and nickel corners. In baseball there are middle relievers, closers and spare outfielders who are primarily late-inning defensive replacements.

In soccer, you occasionally come across something similar.

For example, Natalie Mutschler apparently is the Hanover High girls team's designated penalty-kick-shootout goalkeeper.

Who knew?

Mutschler, a 5-11 junior who usually backs up Virginia Commonwealth-bound senior star Mia Pongratz, came off the bench cold Wednesday night after the Hawks and Dover-Sherborn had been unable to settle their Division 3 state semifinal through 80 scoreless minutes of regulation and two empty 10-minute sudden-death overtimes at Weymouth High.

Mutschler made the call to the proverbial bullpen look like a genius move. She stopped two of the four shots she faced -- another D-S attempt flew wide of the net -- helping Hanover outscore the Raiders, 3-1, in the shootout. Sophomore center midfielder Callie Baldwin scored the walk-off goal, beating D-S goalkeeper Emma Williams low inside the right post to spark a wild celebration.

"It is absolutely unreal," Pongratz said. "From the beginning of the season we all knew this was where we wanted to be. We knew our team was something special. It's incredible to finally be here."

More:HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: South Shore MIAA state semifinal scores and highlights

Fourth-seeded Hanover (18-3-1) advances to Saturday's state championship game (2:15 p.m. at the Manning Bowl in Lynn) against No. 10 Dedham (17-4-1).

If that one goes to PKs, Mutschler will be ready again.

"She's got that height, that length, that confidence," Hanover coach Mary Cullity said of Mutschler's relief appearance. "She's intimidating. She can make those saves. She knew it going in (that she would be called upon). We talked about it at practice. Even in overtime she was getting herself ready. She knew that if it came down to PKs it was her time to go in. I didn't have any second thoughts about it. She was the one."

"It's definitely a big confidence boost," Mutschler said of her star turn, "but I can't get over-confident. Just stay focused and keep working."

Mutschler, who had posted a 0.50 goals-against average across seven games this season, said her only recent experience in a PK shootout was with her club team over the summer. "I had not done a PK shootout in a long time," she admitted, "but we practiced a lot, so I had worked on it a bunch."

She certainly looked prepared, diving to her right to deny Dover-Sherborn's Waverly Sumner in the first round. Williams matched that save with one of her own for the Raiders to make it 0-0 through one round.

Dover-Sherborn missed the net in the second round, and Sophie Schiller put the Hawks ahead to stay by beating Williams high to her right for a 1-0 lead.

Mutschler was it again in Round 3, diving to her right to parry away Tessa Broderick's effort, and Sophia Foley made it 2-0 for Hanover by drilling one high down the middle.

"Honestly, when it comes to PKs I just try to stay out of my own head," Foley said. "I know where I'm going to go and I just put my head down and hit it."

Dover-Sherborn connected on its final attempt, but Baldwin's conversion ended the shootout.

"I just saw my teammates do it," Baldwin said. "I saw them walk up with such composure. I just wanted to do it like them. Walking up, you have to be confident. You gotta pick out a corner, fake out the goalie and then it goes in the net."

The agonizing loss ended Dover-Sherborn's 11-game winning streak. The Raiders started the season 2-4-1 but immediately went on a 14-game unbeaten run (12-0-2) that included playoff shutouts over Apponequet Regional, defending state champ Norwell and top-seeded South Hadley. This was their first loss since Sept. 24.

"The players just figured out a way to come together," Raiders coach Evren Gunduz said of the turnaround. "We talked all season about chemistry, about playing for each other. We had a slogan this year: Play present. Play for each other and play like it's your last (time on the field), whether it's a practice or a game. Treat it like it's a gift.

"We built this team on gratitude this year. The players flipped that switch and treated every day of soccer like it's a gift. When they started embracing that mentality ... they started to play with a little bit of fire that changed the course of our season. That's on them. They did it. They're that special."

Each team had one great chance in the first half as Pongratz made a sprawling stop on a deflected shot, and Dover-Sherborn senior back Marielle Goganian cleared a ball of her goal line late after Foley's shot had eluded Williams at the left post.

Chances were few and far between in the second half and in both OTs. That's when Cullity made the call to Mutschler. It was a move that Pongratz endorsed.

"We were talking about it at our last practice," said Pongratz, who came in with a 0.97 goals-against average. "We always want what's best for the team. We knew Natalie could get the job done and we're very proud of her. She's a huge, key part of this team and I know she's going to do amazing things next year. She's an amazing, talented keeper and we love her a lot."

Mutschler, in turn, called Pongratz a "huge role model."

Hanover is just glad it's got such depth at that position.

"We're so lucky to have both of our goalies," Baldwin said. "They're both amazing. (With) either Natalie or Mia we would have won."

Now it's on to one final challenge. Dedham has knocked out No. 23 Foxboro (2-1 in OT), No. 26 Watertown (2-0), No. 15 Medway (on PKs after a 0-0 tie) and No. 3 Stoneham (3-2 in OT on Wednesday). The Marauders are a seasoned bunch, having lost last year's state final to Norwell, 2-1, in OT.

This will be uncharted waters for Hanover, which was knocked out in the Round of 16 a year ago and lost in the Div. 3 South Sectional semifinals in 2019 and in the South final in 2018. But the Hawks have been targeting this big stage from the first day of preseason tryouts.

"We knew from the beginning of the season that this team was going to be extra special and we could go all the way," Baldwin said.

Said Cullity: "We do goal-setting at the beginning of the year and we've had our eyes set on the state championship from the start. Game by game we've been getting after it. ... We're happy (now). They know I'm proud of them no matter what happens (Saturday). We're just hoping to take it all the way."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hanover girls soccer heads to state final via penalty kick shootout