Dennison’s 4th goal does it for Jacobs

After watching a 2-goal lead slip away in the final 7 minutes of regulation, Jacobs simply went back to work. The Golden Eagles dominated overtime until Kylie Dennison scored her fourth goal of the game with 6:20 left in the second overtime to lift the Golden Eagles to a 5-4 Fox Valley Conference girls soccer win over Hampshire Thursday.

Jacobs was holding a 4-2 lead against Hampshire with time running down, but late goals by Alexis Maze and Alex Zeller tied the game for the Whip-Purs. Zeller’s goal, her third of the match, came with less than 2 ½ minutes left.

Hampshire couldn’t get a shot off in the extra sessions. Dennison had 2 shots from close range in the first OT but was stopped by Hampshire goalkeeper Ari Rominski both times.

Dennison found the range in the second extra period, taking a pass from Bailey Adams and rolling a shot on the ground that trickled past Rominski.

“It’s nice to see that after a tough game where we gave up some goals we were able to fight back together and stick together as a team,” said Jacobs coach Anthony Cappello. “This will take us a long way. This will build our character together.”

Giving up the tying goal late only seemed to make the Golden Eagles (5-6-1) more determined.

“I knew if the team tried our hardest there was no way that we could lose,” said Dennison. “So I just had to keep fighting and do anything I could to get that last goal.”

Despite the loss, Hampshire coach Patrick O’Brien also saw the game as a potential character-builder.

“You try to build on the positives,” he said. “We’re trying to have these girls understand that, one, you need to play a complete game, and I felt we were able to do that tonight. And, second, that you’re never out of it. You always need to keep driving and driving and driving, and they did that. We need to build on it.”

Hampshire (1-4) played catch-up almost the entire game. The teams traded goals in the first half, with Dennison’s first goal giving the Eagles an early lead, and Zeller’s first goal, on a penalty kick, tying it up before intermission.

Dennison scored twice more in the second half, and Amy Rigby added a goal for Jacobs. Dennison’s third goal, off an assist from Rachael Romano, made it 4-2 with 8:08 left on the clock.

Less than 2 minutes later, Maze scored on a 40-yard shot. Then Zeller connected from short range, sending a shot on the ground through traffic.