PORT ANGELES — Rivalry games are often tests of pride and perseverance. And sometimes quirky bits of historical significance are part of the end result.
Sequim and Port Angeles showed equal measure of the former, but it was Shannon Cosgrove’s well-struck penalty shot that gave the Roughriders a 4-3 penalty kick shootout victory against the Wolves on Thursday at Civic Field.
It was the first time a penalty kick shootout decided a Sequim-Port Angeles girls soccer game, according to Riders coach Scott Moseley.
Cosgrove went to the left post with her shot, just beyond the reach of the dive of Sequim goalkeeper Claire Henninger.
“I was really proud of myself,” Cosgrove said with a laugh.
“It was a really intense moment, but I think the nerves really helped me.
“I think that was the best PK I’ve ever taken in my life.”
The teams headed to the shootout after 80 minutes of regulation time and two 5-minute overtime periods ended in a 1-1 tie.
Both goalkeepers were solid to start the game.
Port Angeles’ Madelyn Wenzel collected a close shot from Sequim’s Sara Penrose in the fourth minute. Henninger ran out to gather the ball from an on-rushing Sierra Robinson in the 10th minute and ranged to her right to save a curving free kick from Taylar Clark in the 23rd.
The Wolves broke through after a questionable pushing foul was called on Riders defender Cheyenne Wheeler near the sideline at midfield.
Sequim’s Nathalie Torres sent a long, soaring ball into the Port Angeles goal box that bounced low and out of the arms of Wenzel, who had attempted to smother the shot.
Penrose put her boot on the loose ball and into the net for a 1-0 Wolves lead in the 32nd minute.
The Riders had a quick answer. Cosgrove, normally a forward but playing at right back, dribbled the ball up from the back and sent a low right-to-left cross into the Sequim goal box that found Emily Boyd.
Boyd knocked home her shot to tie the game at 1-1 in the 35th minute.
“We like to move the outside backs upfield and into the play,” Cosgrove said.
“We’ve been working on playing the ball from the outside into the forwards, and it worked well there.”
Moseley was impressed by Cosgrove’s performance.
“She had a great game,” Moseley said.
“It was only her second time all season playing right back. We wanted to get some good service [passes] into the goal.”
The Riders controlled the ball for the most part in the second half.
“We had some really good combo passing, some good wall passing in the first half, so at halftime I basically told them to keep it up,” Moseley said.
But they couldn’t crack the Wolves’ defense, especially with Henninger in goal.
“The Sequim defense is quick and organized, and Henninger is one of the better keepers we will face all season,” Moseley said.
Henninger blocked an Emma Smith penalty kick that could have ended the shootout.
Wenzel also had a save in the shootout, pulling a Torres kick high to the middle of the goal.
The penalty kick defeat had a familiar feel for the Wolves (0-8-0, 2-9-1).
It was their third consecutive, and fourth overall, penalty kick shootout loss in Olympic League play.
“We’ve been through this so many times,” Wolves coach Brittany Murdach said.
“You have to keep having the thought that one of these will go our way.”
Murdach liked how her team pressured the Port Angeles defense.
“We got quite a few shots on net — where we have struggled — so I was happy to see that,” Murdach said.
“We played to the full 80, full 90 in this one, and I know the girls gave it all they had.”
Port Angeles (3-5, 7-5) now sits in a three-way tie with Bremerton and Kingston for the fourth and final Olympic League berth to the district playoffs.
The Riders have beaten Kingston once with a game left to play against the Buccaneers, and lost to Bremerton 3-0 in the teams’ first meeting. Kingston and Bremerton split their season series.
Port Angeles visits Bremerton on Saturday.
