Palmer goalkeeper saves the day

DARRELL L. BREESE/ Frontiersman Reporter

PALMER - Goalkeepers are an odd lot. They are wired differently than the typical soccer player. They keep to themselves, and seldom are in the spotlight.

But they are the last line of defense, and it's up to them to keep the opposition from scoring.

Palmer senior Tara Harrington accepted the burden of getting the Moose to the state tournament Saturday, after making a pair of big saves during a penalty kick shoot-out.

"I love the pressure," Harrington said. "Especially with today's game coming down to penalty kicks. It brings out my best."

Harrington was able to stop the final two Colony penalty kicks, giving the Moose a 2-1 win in the third-place game of the Northern Lights Conference championship at Colony High School.

The Palmer goalkeeper helped the Moose earn a berth in the Alaska School Activities Association State Championship Tournament. It marks Palmer's first trip to the state tourney since 2003.

"What an effort," Palmer head coach Brian Fish said. "For a goalie to make one save during penalty kicks is big. Tara came up with two. She's been the anchor of this team all season. She came through again for us, and in a big game."

The teams wrapped up regulation with neither scoring, sending the game into overtime. Each team managed a goal during the extra play. Palmer, on a penalty kick from the right foot of Joann Spannagel, and Colony, thanks to the hustle of senior captain Jessica Pace. The tie forced two five-minute golden goal periods.

Both defenses played a solid game, limiting scoring chances and keeping the action at midfield.

"Things really got bottled up in the middle," Colony coach Lorie Miner said. "They were forcing us to the outside and covering our strikers tightly in front of the net. That really hampered our scoring chances."

Fish echoed his counterpart, crediting the Knights' defensive back trio for keeping things in front of them.

The combination of defense and fatigue, as they wrapped up the three-day tournament, didn't slow either team as Palmer and Colony played a full 190 minutes. Despite playing more than two full games, there was still no winner.

And then the game went to penalty kicks, and fell into the hands of the keepers.

"It is not the best way to decide a game, in my opinion," Miner said. "But I understand that the game has to end eventually."

Fish had a different view of the game's next stage.

"I knew we had Tara," Fish said. "She has played 49 of 53 games we've had dating back to her freshman season. All that experience paid off today."

It didn't hurt Palmer's chances that Annie Straayer and Ellie Munroe missed the Knights' first two penalty kicks, and then Spannagel and Chelsea Beetch each scored for the Moose.

Harrington sealed the opportunity for Palmer to gain a state berth by stopping a line drive from Megan Pfile, and diving to make a save on a Jolene Jensen shot. Holding a 2-0 advantage with one kicker remaining for Colony, the Moose had finally triumphed.

"I'm not sure how the girls are feeling," Fish said. "I'm sure that they are dead after a long game. But they showed a lot of heart today."