PENDLETON — Hannah Skene didn’t blink. Not until she heard the final whistle on Wednesday night.
In goal for Greenfield-Central against rival Pendleton Heights, Skene faced the first penalty-kick shootout of her career, but no one would have guessed.
Standing calmly in the net, even as the pressure mounted and the game went deeper into a sudden death PK scenario, the sophomore keeper knew what she had to do with the Cougars’ clinging to a 2-1 advantage in the second one-on-one go-around.
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It was just a matter of belief.
“I was actually so stressed out, and I was kind of freaking out, but I just calmed myself down and just believed in myself and tried to stay confident,” Skene said. “This was my first PK shootout.”
Skene recorded three saves through 80 minutes of regulation and 14 additional minutes in overtime, but once the ball left Pendleton Heights’ freshman Ava Chamberlin’s foot, there was no way she was going to let the win slip away.
“We needed (this game). Not only for our record, but we needed it to boost us. To give us something to get us going,” Skene said. “It’s been a difficult season, but we’re learning to stick together.”
Once the ball settled into Skene’s arms and stomach, the Cougars exhaled and rushed the field in elation.
Skene’s fourth and final save was precisely what the Cougars’ hoped as they defeated the host Arabians 2-1 (6-5 in sudden death PK) to snap a two-game losing streak and seize the team’s first Hoosier Heritage Conference win this season.
“Conference game against Pendleton is always tough. That is the second time in three years that it’s come down to the wire,” G-C head coach Brandon Steeno said. “That was a good one. That kid (Hannah Skene) is so mentally strong. I’m so proud of her.”
In the first PK shootout round, the Cougars (2-3-1, 1-2 HHC) went ahead 4-3 after four attempts. However, Greenfield-Central missed its fifth shot, which opened the door for Pendleton Heights (2-3, 0-1 HHC), who tied it up behind Olivia McIntyre’s PK goal.
In the sudden death round, the Arabians’ first shot bounced off the crossbar and the Cougars’ attempt went wide.
Back-to-back PK goals by Schyler Slunaker and Courtney Vaughn put Greenfield-Central in position 2-1 before Chamberlin booted a liner towards Skene.
“At first, I didn’t know I actually caught it, and then when the shock actually hit me, I exploded. I was so happy,” Skene said.
The Cougars trailed 1-0 at halftime after the Arabians jumped out early in the game’s fourth minute as senior Macy Browning laced the net off an assist from Kaitlyn Prickett. The goal was Browning’s 12th on the season and Prickett’s seventh assist.
Greenfield-Central had 10 shots on goal in the first half and finished with 20 overall, but despite trailing for 77 minutes, they refused to back down.
“The girls just needed a chance,” Steeno said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime. Capitalize on your opportunities, don’t give any away.”
Senior captain Kambell Trapp seized her moment with 3:02 remaining in regulation.
A minute after Kelsi McLaughlin narrowly missed a potential goal that sailed too high over the net, Trapp was awarded a direct free kick following a PH foul from 30 yards out. Her shot dropped into the corner of the net, tying the game 1-all.
“I just knew if I got it in, we could take it to PKs,” Trapp said. “I had a lot of confidence in my team, so I just wanted to get us there. I’m a senior captain, so I wanted to take that initiative and give us a chance.”
As play intensified — with two yellow cards against the Arabians and one against the Cougars — Greenfield-Central attacked the net and Pendleton Height’s goalkeeper Gracie Conkling, who recorded 11 saves.
Greenfield-Central limited Pendleton Heights to one shot on goal in the final 54 minutes after surrendering seven in the first half.
“I’ve been happy with our defensive effort in spots the whole season. From start to finish tonight, the girls played amazing,” Steeno said.
Skene applied the finishing touch with two clutch saves after halftime — one in the 41st minute and the other with the game on the line.
“I had full faith in Hannah. She’s been killing it lately,” Trapp said. “I had full confidence that she would make that save for us.
“This is huge. We’ve fallen down a bit this season, but we knew if we could turn it around, then we could get going. We definitely want to try to win sectional, and we knew this was one of the first steps to get there.”
Up next, the Cougars travel to Class A No. 1 Park Tudor on Saturday to play the defending state champions at 11:30 a.m.
“This game just gave us a little bit more confidence. Our team is pretty close, but I feel like this win brought us closer because we just need to believe in ourselves,” Skene said. “We just need to stick together. This was definitely a learning experience.”
