Kaneland wins epic sectional match on 12th PK

After 100 minutes of scoreless soccer and 11 rounds of a penalty kick shootout, there was going to be a lot of emotion when either Kaneland or Freeport won Friday's Class 2A Rockford Boylan sectional girls soccer championship match.

And when Freeport's 12th kick sailed over the crossbar, the Knights were racing to celebrate before the ball hit the turf.

"I couldn't even hear anything because everyone screamed immediately," Kaneland's Heather Ortiz said.

And did the Knights ever celebrate, with the team racing to meet keeper Emily Chapman while Chapman sprinted to reach her teammates in a massive jumping huddle in the middle of the field.

"There was excitement and relief and I don't think I ever ran faster," Ortiz said.

Every time Kaneland takes the field, it makes history. After never winning a regional, the Knights find themselves playing in Tuesday's DeKalb supersectional with a spot in the state finals at stake. Kaneland faces Peoria Notre Dame at 5 p.m.

"We won regionals and then we were like 'let's win the next game,'" Ortiz said. "Now we're like 'let's keep going and go as far as we can.' It's so exciting."

Listing the players who made massive contributions for the Knights (19-3) would be impossible because the list would be lengthy.

But penalty kick shootouts are made for goalkeeping heroics, and the Knights' Chapman made two saves in the shootout, including one in the 10th round to prolong the shootout and give her team a chance to win.

"Every kick, even if it went in, I just had to relax my mind and think of the next shot," Chapman said. "You can't let the last shot affect you."

Even on shots that score, Chapman guessed correctly the majority of the time.

"I could see it in their eyes,' Chapman said. "They were pretty obvious about it."

The Knights converted eight-of-11 kicks, but Taylor Opperman's in the 12th round proved decisive. Ooperman had missed her first kick, which came in the second round. The shootout went long enough she had a chance to kick again.

"I had a chance to redeem myself," Opperman said. "I was glad I got the first one on frame and it was a good save. It was good to make the second one. It's hard to calm down out here."

Through the 80 regulation minutes and 20 minutes of overtime, chances were hard to come by. For the second consecutive match, Kaneland took time to settle in. It was halftime before the Knights sorted themselves out.

"Freeport came out and gave it their all and at halftime, we had to get our heads in the game," Ortiz said. "Coach (Scott Parillo) said 'they want this more than you do. He was right."

The IHSA penalty kick format is for five kicks to decide the shootout, and if the teams are tied, a second group of five kicks, with different kickers, is taken. From that point, each round is sudden death and kickers are eligible to take a second attempt.

The teams were tied 3-3 after the first round with Holly Collingbourne, Madison Jurcenko and Ortiz scoring for Kaneland.

In the second group of kicks, Emily Grams, Kiandra Powell and Nicole Koczka scored for Knights.

Collingbourne scored in the first sudden death round before Opperman hit the decisive kick before Freeport's final miss.

"In sudden death, I went back with the first five, and I told the girls who missed that they had a chance to redeem themselves," Parillo said. "I knew they would. We practice these all the time and now we know why. Last year, we lost in penalties and this year we win."