• Prev
• 1 of 2
• Next

THE Academy of Our Lady of Guam Cougars made their way up to the GW soccer field to take on the George Washington Lady Geckos in IIAAG High School Girls Soccer League playoff action. Entering the game, the Lady Cougars were 3rd-seeded, while the Geckos entered the game as the 6th seed. Both teams showed up with their “A-game” as the game needed more than regulation and overtime to settle the score and determine a winner.

“We knew what needed to happen, especially against a team that has a very good and all-island midfielder. We were able to just play tough and we hung in there until the end,” GW Coach James Quigley said. “Both teams played well and it came down to a shootout and with that it could’ve went in either direction.”

With the score knotted at 0-0 after overtime, both teams went into a shootout that kept everyone in attendance on their feet. However, there was only one slot for a team to advance and at the end of the shootout, the Lady Geckos upset the 3rd-seeded Cougars, 3-2.

The Geckos were up first and went with Krystiana Martinez as their first kicker. Martinez was able to get the ball past Academy goalkeeper Dionni Hernandez to go up 1-0. George Washington held on to the one-goal lead as the Cougars couldn’t convert on their first and second attempts. However, with Tana Ramos up for Academy’s third attempt, the Cougars were able to equalize the game as Ramos put one right past Gecko goalkeeper Jena Cruz.

Lillian Troy’s number was called next to take a shot at Hernandez. Hernandez proved golden as she zipped a shot past the keeper to find the back of the goal and a 2-1 lead. The Cougars weren’t prepared to put themselves in a tough predicament and were able to equalize the score once again at 2-2. Andrea Odell put a nicely placed shot past Cruz to keep Academy in the game.

It all came down to the final kickers for both teams. Up first was GW’s Erica Evangelista, who wasted no time converting the goal to give the Lady Geckos a 3-2 lead. The Cougars needed a goal to keep the shootout going. However, Cruz, who was named to the all-island first team as a goalkeeper, denied and blocked the shot to preserve her team’s lead for the win.

With the victory, the Geckos advance to the semifinals to take on Notre Dame on Tuesday at the Guam Football Association facility in Harmon.