Girls soccer: Lake Park scores in final seconds to beat Streamwood

The finish was so wild that no one was really sure if the winning goal counted or who actually got credited with the score.

But when everything was settled, Lake Park had a thrilling 2-1 victory over visiting Streamwood after the referees determined that the winning goal did indeed cross the goal line just before the final horn buzzed.

The Sabres had led 1-0 after getting the better of play in the first half and then looked as if they'd at least escape with a 1-1 tie in large part due to the strong play of goalie Candy Nava, who recorded seven saves including a sparkling stop of a penalty kick off the foot of AnnMarie Ahrens in the second half.

But with the final seconds winding off the clock, Lancers sophomore midfielder Patty Lachowiez chased a deep ball down to the right of the Sabre goal, kept the play alive, and sent a cross into traffic in front of Nava, with seconds left to play.

The ball pinballed around a Sabre defender and a pair of Lancers - Cyndi Martinez and Emma Thorne. While no one seemed to know for sure who touched the ball last, Thorne was credited with the game-winner after the ball just did make its way into the net as time expired.

"It's amazing. I'm just so glad," said Lachowiez, who had just re-entered the game due to an injury with a little over a minute left to play. "I didn't even really pay attention to the clock. With AnnMarie just coming off injured, it really meant that I had to do something. Luckily I could get there in time and I'm just glad I was able to get the ball there. I saw Emma sort of kick it in and Cyndi was there ... I don't even know who got it."

Martinez, who had tied the game with a goal 25 minutes into the second half, may not have been credited with the game-winner, but she sure had fun being part of the play that lifted the squad to 3-9-1 on the spring.

"Oh my god, we just kept playing until time ran down," said Martinez, who if nothing else may have cleared a path for Thorne to get a foot on the ball on the winning shot. "That last goal was kind of funny, but in a good way. I think Emma was probably the last one to touch it. We just kept playing."

For Streamwood (3-8), it was a tough ending to a game that had started so well. The Sabres struck first early in the game on a 25-yard free kick by Dianna Herrera and had five shots on goal to just two for the Lancers in the first half. With Nava strong goal, they appeared set to at least come away with a tie, before the crazy last-second score.

"In the first half we played really well but in the second half we let down a little bit," Streamwood coach Kristin Duffy said. "At the end, we were unlucky. But you've got to play until the buzzer."