Tie of the rivals

Huntley varsity girls soccer team has an intense game against hometown rival, Jacobs.

E. McCoy

HHS girls soccer keeps their heads in the game. (E. McCoy)

By Emma McCoy

 The conference rivalry is put to the test. On Tuesday night, Huntley vs Jacobs at the HHS stadium. It was a strong back-and-forth game between the two varsity teams. Working through a chilly night in April, the soccer players kept it up and fought hard. 

There was a dicey start and an early game tie, but Huntley’s Morgan Mcaughn scored the first goal. 

With about 10 minutes left in the first quarter, a Jacob’s player went down, bringing a Huntley player down with them. A big call struck conversations within the crowd, and both teams broke into their huddles. Chatting between players, Huntley came back with the ball. Number 19, Jaci Laramie, kicked from the 44-yard line towards the Jacobs goal. As the first quarter was winding down, strong attempts were made at the goal by HHS. 

Fouls after fouls on both sides of the ball, the energy in the stadium continued to grow.  

As the sun went down, the competition went on with every pass and every shot at the goal. 

The first half was coming to a close and eagerness arose within the crowd. The buzzer timed out, and everyone in the stadium heard a voice from the announcers’ booth. 

“As a reminder of the IHSA rules, sportsmanship is an expectation. Let’s continue to cheer these girls on,” athletic director Glen Wilson said.  

Switching sides of the field, the second half begins. Jacobs started with possession of the ball, and Delaney Roimiser began with a strong kick to her team. 

A very well-played game by two talented teams of young ladies. With only three minutes into the second half, HHS had two strong and close shots on goal. 

A huge steal by Jacobs and Chloe Pfaff outruns the midfielder on the Jacobs team and gains back for Huntley’s possession. 

Insane play by Pfaff playing back and forth with a defensive player on the Jacobs team. Pfaff passes to assist Grace Helzer. The ball was inches away from the goal line, and the goalie and Helzer collided and the ball skied past the goal line, not making a goal. 

A controversial call was made on Huntley, as an HHS player hit a ball all the way over the team’s head, and it was an offsides call. 

Number five, Maizie Nickel scored with 25 minutes left of the game after tight passes and a roaring crowd of fans.

Dribbling through Huntley’s defensive line, around 7 minutes left, and Jacobs scores their second goal. 

“Towards the end, we kind of got chaotic, and we weren’t very composed, but we kept working hard and tried our best,” freshman Maizie Nickle said. 

Lots of support beamed from the crowd, and the game ended in a tie 2-2, requiring a five-minute break for both teams. 

“We struggled just a little bit. We were getting inside our heads a bit too much,” Pfaff said. “But otherwise we kept going and it was okay.”

After the break, a powerful 10-minute overtime took place and aggressive shots were made at the Jacobs goal, but no goals were made in. Both teams continued to put up a tough fight, after two halves and the first overtime, you can see that in all the athletes’ faces: their drive to win. 

An energetic, continuous fight for the win last night carried on with double overtime still 2-2. Fans chanted, “Go red” and “Go white” supporting their respective teams with blankets to keep warm. 

A back-to-back fight for the ball all throughout the double overtime and the final score remained 2-2.