By Cort Reynolds
The Ada girls soccer team won the resumption of its suspended Div. III first round sectional soccer match over visiting Otsego 2-1 (3-1 in a shootout) after the second overtime was scoreless Wednesday evening.
Darkness suspended play at approximately 7:20 p.m. Monday evening with the score knotted at 1-1 after one 15-minute overtime period.
The shootout victory was the first tournament win in Lady Bulldog soccer program history.
Ada, which improved to 6-10-1 with the victory, had a few solid scoring opportunities in the second OT but couldn't find the back of the net.
In the shootout, Bulldog senior Makayla Callahan kicked first and booted it into the net over Otsego keeper Asmus. Otsego then kicked wide on its try for a 1-0 Ada lead.
Bulldog senior Kaitlyn Long then made it 2-0 when she booted her shot cleanly into the lower left corner.
Ada senior keeper Rielyn Castle then made a save on a kick punched right at her.
Ada's third try sailed over the net, and Otsego scored in the lower left corner to cut the shootout deficit to 2-1.
Latifah Bagais then kicked for the Bulldogs, but her shot was saved by Asmus. Castle then made a fine diving save to her right to keep Ada in front 2-1 on the Knight attempt.
Bulldog freshman Bella East then clinched the victory by sending her left-footed kick into the low left corner for a 3-1 shootout triumph.
Makayla Callahan scored the Ada regulation goal Monday with an assist from Ella Poling on an unseasonably warm evening. Shannon Weihl tallied the lone Otsego goal and the game was 1-1 at halftime.
The teams then went 75 minutes without scoring through the second half and two extra sessions before the shootout decided the outcome in Ada's favor.
The purple and gold then had several chances to net a tie-breaking goal over the final 40 minutes Monday as they kept the pressure on the Knight defense. Freshman Katie Butterfield missed just wide left with 19:15 left in regulation play.
The Bulldogs fed a nice cross in front of the box at the 13:15 mark, but no one was there but the Otsego keeper Asmus.
At the 10:50 juncture a Knight forward fired a shot off the post and keeper Rielyn Castle out of bounds to earn a corner kick, but nothing came of it.
Bagais then made a nice field-length run as a counter off the missed corner. Asmus came way off her line and left the goal exposed, but the Bulldog cross was not successful.
At the 8:25 mark an Ada corner kick went out of bounds off the back of the net. A long Bulldog shot made for an easy save with 4:10 to go.
Otsego then botched a diect kick attempt with 1:25 remaining to send the game to overtime.
Ada dominated the first OT, getting two shots on goal off a corner kick within the first 30 seconds of play. Callahan lofted a long shot high into the air at the 10:00 mark of OT, but it bounced off the crossbar and over the net, narrowly missing a goal.
The Knight orange and black keeper Asmus made a solid save at the 8:50 mark, and Butterfield put another shot on goal just 20 seconds later.
Asmus made a nice diving save of a crossing pass over the middle at the 4:30 point. Ada mustered one last long shot on goal as time expired, but it was easily saved by Asmus.
With darkness coming on strongly after the first OT, the game was then suspended Monday night.
Ada fired 24 total shots on goal compared to just eight by Otsego. Bulldog keeper Castle was credited with seven saves in goal (plus two more in the shootout), while the busy Asmus made 23 stops.
The Bulldogs earned 10 corner kicks to four by the Knights.
Ada now plays at top-seeded Liberty-Benton Saturday, October 22 at 1:30 p.m. in district quarterfinal action. L-B defeated Ada 8-1 Oct. 12.
