On Thursday, April 28, the Lady Wolverines made the trip up the mountain to face arch rival Hendersonville in a highly anticipated match-up of conference powers.
Both the JV and the varsity game were decided by one goal. JV fell short 3-2 and varsity prevailed in overtime 3-2.
In the early going it became clear it was going to be a very physical game with lots of fouls on both sides. The refs did not help this, as they made several questionable calls at key points. At one point the head ref failed to see that the lines men had called offsides and because of this error, he gave the ball back to the Bearcats in the Wolverine’s zone.
Despite this, the Wolverines gave up only one goal in the first half after a breakdown in communication by the defenders. At the half the Bearcats led 1-0.
At the beginning of the second half Hendersonville came out with renewed pressure, keeping Polk’s defense and keeper on their toes. Donna Every made several saves at full extension to keep the Wolverines within reach.
With 12 minutes to play the Wolverines finally got the equalizer as Ellese Cash sprinted through the opposing defense and beat the keeper, tying the game at one game apiece.
At the end of regulation both teams prepared for what proved to be a dramatic overtime.
The first OT was evenly matched as both teams had their chances but all were turned away.
Polk’s keeper Donna Every again made several saves, and after the first half of OT the game was still knotted up at one a piece.
In the second half of OT, things got interesting. With less than five minutes to play, Polk striker Brittany Phipps received a cross into the box and headed it into the back of the net, giving the Wolverines their first lead against Hendersonville this season.
This victory was short-lived, however, as less than a minute later the Bearcats tied the game.
The teams continued to battle it out until Cash finished the Bearcats off with a goal with just 30 seconds to play, sealing the deal for the Wolverines 3-2.
“All I have to say is we all stepped it up tonight,” Phipps said. “And one couldn’t have done it without the other. We played like a real team should.”.
The win keeps the Wolverines in line for the conference championship as they look to clinch the championship versus a good Thomas Jefferson team.