Clark's OT goal gives Mosley district championship win over Arnold
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Early in the first overtime of Friday night's District 2-5A final at Gavlak Stadium, Mosley senior Lexi Clark found herself free in the box with the ball on her left foot and a clear shot at the go-ahead goal.
She missed, though not without a great save by Arnold goalkeeper Allie Dalton. Clark got an immediate reprieve, however, with Dalton unable to secure the ball and Clark pouncing on the rebound and putting it in the back of the net for what turned out to be a district championship-winning goal.
"I was like 'oops, I missed,' so I had to follow it," Clark said of her initial shot. "I hoped she would bobble it and she did so I scored. I was in the moment and the adrenaline kicked in and I wanted to win so bad and I took the shot and we scored. It was the best feeling ever."
Clark's goal capped a long, cold, and exciting night of soccer between the two county rivals in a game that was far tighter, more competitive, and better played than their first meeting on Dec. 14, which Arnold won 4-2.
The Dolphins turned the tables in Friday's rematch, with coach Marek Betkowski saying that the elevated stakes served to evelate his team's focus and intensity from the first matchup.
"I think the fact that tonight's game was the final of district, it really adds to the girls' performance with how important the game was," he said. "I think it was an excellent game to watch, first of all. You had everything in it, it was very close, lots of chances on both sides, a fast game, an all-around exciting game.
"But our girls were today fired up probably more than ever this season probably because they have to, otherwise this game could go either way. I was pleased most of all with our spirit tonight. The performance itself was good and solid, but what impressed me more was the spirit of the team and their determination."
The Dolphins got on the board first with a headed goal by Zamiyah Hill on a nice cross from Olivia Parker in the 19th minute, with the Marlins leveling the match with a goal by Rheagan Savage on an assist from Emily Djagbare in the 31st minute.
That's where the score remained until Clark's overtime goal, with Mosley turning back every late advance by the Arnold attack in the second overtime to secure the victory.
While the Dolphins were far sharper in all aspects of the game than they were in their first meeting with the Marlins, Clark agreed with her coach that it was more of a difference in will than skill.
"I think we wanted it more than they did," she said. "This is our state championship for us, the district championship against Arnold. We wanted it so bad and we gave it our all and we won."
From Arnold coach Larry Cecchini's perspective, it was a game with very small margin for error that could've easily gone the other way. Ceccini credited Mosley's effort, as well as its tactics, while still heaping praise on his own players.
"It was a great game, a fun game to watch," he said. "It was a shame giving up that first goal, but I actually thought we played a lot better in the first half and really kind of had the run of play. Kudos to their coach for making some corrections at halftime to make it harder for us to get some corner kicks and shots on goal.
"It's a game that could've gone either way, we had some good chances in the first half and they took advantage of theirs in the second. It was just an all-around good game. I was proud of the girls."
Both teams will now get over a week off before beginning play in the region playoffs, which start Feb. 8. Mosley (14-3) will almost certainly be the No. 2 seed in Region 1, with Arnold (12-5) likely to get the No. 5 seed as the highest-ranked district runner-up in the FHSAA rankings.
That means the Marlins will start the playoffs on the road, though Cecchini pointed out to his team that it was just last year when Arnold won two road playoff games en route to the 4A state title match.
"We're gonna play the four-seed and we've got a shot," he said. "It's not over for us. I just reminded them how many games we won on the road last year on the way to the final, so it's nothing new for us. It's doable."
While both teams will get the chance to make a run toward state when the playoffs begin in 10 days time, only one will get to bask in the glow of beating its biggest rival in the season's biggest game.
"We all know whoever wins is gonna brag about it for the rest of the year until we play again," Clark said of the Mosley-Arnold rivalry. "It's nice we get the bragging rights this time."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER: Clark's late goal gives Dolphins district title win over Marlins
