Two PK sessions before underdog Penn prevails over Saint Joseph

SOUTH BEND — The Penn girls soccer team had every reason just to roll over and call it a season Thursday night as a decided underdog against rival Saint Joseph's.

The Kingsmen, who had battled through adversity all season, proved though that love and togetherness can go a long way towards making a memorable moment that is sure to last a lifetime.

Penn stunned the No. 6 Indians 4-3 in a double penalty kick shootout in a sectional semifinal thriller of the Class 3A Saint Joseph Sectional at the North Athletic Fields Complex.

The win, which avenged a 5-0 loss on the same field back on Sept. 21, sends Penn into the sectional finale Saturday. The Kingsmen face Adams at 2 p.m. Adams beat LaPorte 2-0 in the second semifinal match Thursday night. Penn beat Adams 3-0 in a regular-season match.

Penn, which lost a trio of standout players to ACL injuries earlier this season, may have limped into the sectional semifinal.

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The Kingsmen, now 7-11-2, were jumping for joy however as junior Tara Dauby buried her penalty kick chance in the second round of the shootout to give Penn the incredible win. Dauby's low blast came after Penn senior keeper Lily Smith had saved a St. Joe PK just prior with a stop using her feet to keep the ball out of the net.

"I've never felt that calm before a PK," said Dauby. "I had a feeling I would make it. It means a lot to me. This is my favorite team I've ever played on. This team loves each other and we were not ready for our season to end tonight."

Smith, a senior captain, stopped a pair of shots in the first round of five penalty kicks. She then denied a shot by fellow star keeper Peyton Hull of St. Joe to give Dauby a chance for the winner.

"I was going to use every ounce of energy to stop that shot," said Smith. "Thankfully I was able to make the save. I worked so hard for this. Our team worked so hard for this. We all believed we could win this game. We just stayed positive and focused on teamwork.

"This means everything to me. We've had such a rough season. But at the end of the day, we love each other and we were not ready to call it the end of the road tonight."

The match saw the teams played through 94 scoreless minutes, including a pair of seven-minute overtime sessions. Each star keeper, Smith and Hull (who will play at Samford University) made a pair of saves in the first round of PK's before Penn prevailed.

St. Joe, which finishes at 15-4, had its share of tough breaks. The hosts, who beat Penn 4-0 in a regional semifinal last year en route to a semistate berth, had three shots hit off the post during the match. St. Joe also had at least six prime scoring opportunities during the match, while Penn had none.

Penn coach Jeff Hart, who guided his program to state titles in 2016 and 2017, praised the perseverance and togetherness of his team.

"This was all our kids," said Hart. "We've had a ton of adversity this year and not the record we wanted. But not one kid on this team turned on anyone. They stuck together. Belief is contagious and they had that tonight.

"In high school sports in a tourney where it's one game anything can happen. We caught some breaks tonight and were fortunate. But our kids played without fear. We gave ourselves a chance to win and I was very confident when we got to PK's. We practice those.

"We were off nine days prior to the sectional and we went back to the basics, like possessing the ball. Things you have to do to have a chance to win big games. We knew the time would come when we would turn the tide.

"I have total confidence in Lily. She's a captain for a reason. She's a leader and puts the team first always. She was an All-NIC keeper last year for us."

Penn entered postseason play with 15 staight sectional titles, while St. Joe has won 14 in a row. Both opened play Tuesday with 9-0 first-round wins.

Penn was able to pack in its defense and hold St. Joe's potent offense scoreless for just the second time this season with the other being a 1-0 loss to Carmel in the season opener. St. Joe entered the game with 70 goals, led by 20 from star senior and NIC MVP Ella Frick. Standout Lauren Harrington had 19 goals and Meg Baxter 11.

The Kingsmen got fine defensive work on Frick from Malaika Waithaka to keep the star from finding the back of the net.

"I have not marked a player like we did tonight on Ella in probably seven years," noted Hart. "I have that much respect for her."

St. Joe coach Phil DePauw handled the gut-wrenching loss with class.

"All the credit to Penn," said DePauw, whose team had won 14 of its last 15 matches after losses to powers Carmel and Evansville Memorial to open the season. "They defended well and they executed well. Jeff is a good coach and he had a good plan.

"We had probably eight good chances tonight and one of them just did not go in. PK's then is how it has to end. I was hugely confident still when we got to that point tonight.

"I care about these kids and they care about each other and this game. That's why all of us pour our hearts into it. This team played superbly all year."

St. Joe's other loss this season was a 2-1 double overtime setback to NIC foe and rival Marian, which was Class 2A state runner up in 2021.

St. Joe says good-bye to a stellar senior group of five players, led by Ella Frick, Harrington and Hull.

"This was a smaller senior class than in recent years, but no less mighty," DePauw said.

"They were a great group to coach. They gave effort, they were gutty and they were talented. They are going to be difficult to replace."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: The Penn girls soccer team upset Saint Joseph in a sectional thriller