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Girls soccer: Prairie Ridge works OT to stop St. Viator

Making a run to the Class 2A sectional semifinals wasn't out of the question for a young St. Viator girls soccer team.

It was just a matter of how far would the Lions go.

Top-seeded Prairie Ridge put an end to St. Viator's season, however, outlasting the No. 5 seed 1-0 in 2 overtimes at Deerfield on Tuesday night.

The Wolves (16-2) played the match without 28-goal scorer McKenna Silber, who tore her ACL in Saturday's Ridgewood regional final against Lakes.

"We knew it was going to be tough. (Prairie Ridge) may have the better athletes or the better team," said coach Mike Taylor, whose Lions ended the season at 11-8-4. "We made one mistake and it cost us. We played a good game otherwise.

"I've been saying for two years that we're young. Next year, we'll no longer be young. Over 50 percent of them will be seniors and others will be juniors. We'll take this pain and loss, and remember it."

Both teams played 80 minutes of scoreless soccer until Prairie Ridge broke the tie in the first of the two 10-minute overtimes.

Jena Berkland scored for the Wolves in the 88th minute off a rebound in the penalty area. Nicole Anderson set up the goal with a low end-line pass that went off the hands of Lions keeper Anna Johnston.

St. Viator had a couple off chances the rest of the way but couldn't solve Wolves keeper Taylor Golt, who made 8 stops in the shutout.

Johnston made 7 saves in net for St. Viator.

"I thought the game was pretty even," Prairie Ridge coach Andre Watson said. "I thought we had more of the attack in the game. Hats off to their goalie. She was phenomenal and a sweeper keeper back there. She was cleaning up everything. I thought they were a very well-organized team and played a high line. When we dug into the offensive third, I thought the space was limited. We had to find those holes. I thought we had a great all-around team effort."

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