GIRLS SOCCER: Odessa High perseveres to down Permian on penalty kicks

Odessa High junior goalkeeper Catalina Ulate said she gets nervous and shaky before penalty kicks.

After Permian and Odessa High both scored twice in regulation Friday night at Ratliff Stadium, Ulate had to control those butterflies and step up to earn the Lady Bronchos another point in District 2-6A action.

After the Lady Panthers made their first three penalties to the Lady Bronchos two, Ulate needed to save the next two Permian shots to give her team a chance at victory before sudden death.

So, she did just that.

Odessa High defeated Permian 4-3 on penalty kicks after the last two Lady Panther attempts failed to hit the back of the net.

Ulate said on the first three Permian tries that she did too much and overexerted herself, when she should have remained stationary longer.

Then as Ulate dug her feet into the turf on Permian’s fourth attempt from Tobi McCoy, she watched as the ball went through the uprights above the cross bar. Then on the Lady Panthers last attempt, she guessed correctly where Jaden Sosa attempted to shoot the ball.

That earned Odessa High two points from the first crosstown-rivalry game of the season, while Permian had to settle for a lone point.

“I kind of just stared at her in the eyes and saw where she was going to place the ball,” Ulate said about Sosa’s shot. “I knew my team was counting on me and I just had to pull it off.”

It was the first time either team had played past 80 minutes of regulation in district play. In the first half, both teams had a few scoring chances with the contest’s first breakthrough coming in the 21st minute.

That’s when Odessa High junior Miranda Cardona stole the ball from Permian in the midfield and dribbled it untouched into the Lady Panthers’ penalty box and took a shot that was unchallenged from Permian goalkeeper Jenafur Warren and slotted into the top-right corner of the net.

Eight minutes later, Permian tied the game off a free kick — the Lady Panthers’ first goal in district play. Junior Natalie Terry drove the ball into the penalty box where Sosa met it in stride and deflected it over the goal line.

Permian (11-4-1 overall, 0-2-0-1 District 2-6A, one point) continued that momentum into the second half where it controlled play and took its first lead in the game as a result.

In the 52nd minute, McCoy gathered the ball at midfield, turned toward goal and after a few strides, ripped a shot at net that grazed the crossbar and fell straight down near the goal line. The assistant referee immediately blew his whistle — indicating that McCoy had scored.

“I think that we probably put ourselves in a situation that was unnecessary, but that’s how the game goes sometimes,” Odessa High head coach Cecilia Kellar said about falling behind. “Permian did a good job of executing their opportunities and I felt like we had a handful more opportunities that we did not execute.”

Odessa High (11-5-0, 1-1-1-0, five points) tied the game with 10 minutes left in regulation when senior Alondra Venegas headed a ball over Warren and into the back of the net.

“For the first time in three game days, we at least started off from the opening whistle. We made a game out of it,” Permian head coach Chad Peterson said. “I think at times we were in it for the three points, at times we were out of it for no points.

“Walking away with a point, that’s a big thing … I think we let one get away. There’s just not a whole lot you can say to it when you keep giving up space and let them splatter the crossbar and keep giving up chances.”

Both teams return to action Tuesday. Permian heads back on the road when it faces Amarillo Tascosa, while Odessa High is at home to take on Midland Lee.

{{tncms-inline account=”EricBlumOA” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GIRLS SOCCER: Here's the full PK shootout between Permian and Odessa High. <a href="https://t.co/mwA4qEE0OX">pic.twitter.com/mwA4qEE0OX</a></p>— Eric Blum (@EricBlumOA) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricBlumOA/status/964674921241743361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>” id=”964674921241743361″ type=”twitter”}}