Marauders shut out Red Devils; Cougars outlast rival Dragons in OT

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By James Howell Jr/For Daily Reporter

GREENFIELD — The journey towards soccer postseason glory began Tuesday night for two girls programs on the field of Hancock Health Stadium at Greenfield-Central High School.

The Mt. Vernon Marauders (10-3-1) began the night by beating the Richmond Red Devils (7-7-1) in a shutout, 6-0, on the pitch.

To close the night, the New Palestine Dragons (10-6) fell to the host Greenfield-Central Cougars (6-9), 2-0, in overtime.

After a regional championship final berth last year, the Marauders have their eyes set on another late run in the state tournament this year, and it showed in the opening game of the tournament.

It did not take long for the Marauders to flex their muscles and put the Red Devils in an insurmountable hole.

In the third minute, Lilian Muhlenkamp gave the Marauders their first goal.

Marauder head coach Aaron Britt was satisfied with the start.

“We did not come in here today wanting a win, as much as we expected the win,” Britt said. “So it was our goal to come out focused on jumping ahead early on and not laying back. I’m happy we did it the way we planned.”

Five minutes after her first goal, Muhlenkamp put her second in the net.

With the Red Devils committed to playing defense instead of pushing the ball forward, there was little chance for a comeback.

Despite the defensive focus for Richmond, Mt. Vernon continued to find holes.

In the 23rd minute, Lillian Wilson scored her first goal of the game. Soon after, in the 30th minute, Addison Wong made up for her near miss earlier by scoring one of her own.

The Marauders added two goals in the second half for good measure. Kylie Brandes scored her first goal of the night in the 52nd minute. Mariam Konate add the sixth goal of the night on a penalty kick in the 77th minute.

In the closing match of the night, the Cougars hosted the Dragons in what at times seemed to cross the line between soccer and rugby.

The physical, yet technical, match was something to witness.

Both teams battled runs from their opponent but never managed to break free in the entirety of regulation.

The Dragons had most of the match’s early opportunities with four shots on goal to the Cougars one in the first 30 minutes of action.

Anna Luker, McKenzie Davis and Allie Blum each put shots on goal without luck in the early portions of the game.

In the waning seconds of the first half, Courtney Vaughn tried to pull off her fifth goal of the season from more than 25 yards out for the Cougars. Her shot right into the center of the goal was stopped by goalkeeper Grace Hasenkamp.

Much like the first half, the Dragons controlled possession and offense in the first portion. They put three shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, but with no luck.

Cougars goalkeeper Jessica Merritt made the save of the night in the 56th minute with a diving stop.

The Cougars had two close calls in the 66th and 75th minutes from Alyssa Deckard and Gladys Rodriguez.

Cougars head coach Brandon Steeno, nearly voiceless from the excitement of the match, was thrilled with his team’s composure.

“I am so proud of this team,” Steeno said. “Coach Clark and everyone else in that New Pal program does such a great job. Their girls are always in top condition and so talented. To be able to get away with holding them scoreless for even regulation is a feather in the cap.”

In overtime, the Cougars offense came alive on the foot of inspirational junior captain Sara Contreraz.

Inside of the first minute of overtime, a rainbow shot off of Contreraz’s foot went out of Hasenkamp’s reach and into the back of the net to finally light up the scoreboard.

Again in the second overtime, Contrerez took advantage of the retreating Dragons defense for a goal to seal the victory for her and her fellow Cougars.

“We were resilient,” Steeno said. “We stepped up in a big way tonight and we will celebrate this tonight, but this was the first step. We have another massive challenge with Coach Britt’s team and Mt. Vernon on Thursday.”

The sectional semifinal between Steeno’s Cougars and Britt’s Marauders is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Thursday. The winner will advance to Saturday’s championship match against either Shelbyville or East Central at 7 p.m.