Overtime goal pushes City High past Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS - The thing about a golden goal is it seems to happen in an instant. The game is trudging along in overtime with both teams fatigued and then - bam - it's over.

Freshman Samantha Schroder's shot from just inside the 18-yard box on the top right side gave City High a 2-1 overtime victory Thursday night over Xavier.

'The ball came to me, I saw the goal and I just shot it,” Schroder said. 'I don't think (the keeper) was really expecting it. She tried to save it but …”

'It was in the upper 90 back post,” City senior Ashley Smith said.

Most of City High's attacks came with multiple players applying the pressure after long possessions. But this one, even though it started in the back and built along the side, came with fewer red shirts on the prowl.

City opened the scoring in the second minute when Madelynn Fontana's cross was booted in by Smith, who was among a host of Little Hawks in front of the goal.

'For warm-up, we actually work on that exact play where we work it out wide and try to cross it between the 6-yard line and the PK (spot),” Smith said. 'So I just hold my spot there. It came right to my feet; it was a great ball and I just took a rip.”

The Saints got the equalizer in the ninth minute on a long looping shot by sophomore Elena Minor, who was just past midfield. Then, Xavier seized the momentum in the final 10 minutes of regulation, pushing forward with numbers but couldn't get it in.

'We felt like we were coming together more as a team,” Xavier captain Grace McDermott said. 'We could feel the heart among everybody.”

Smith said City (3-1, 4-2) has had trouble with those kinds of lapses even in games where it controlled possession.

Xavier is ranked fifth in Class 2A, but its record is 1-6 overall with a number of close losses to 3A teams.

'With each game we're getting better and getting closer,” McDermott said. 'We just have to finish through and score some goals, that's what it comes down to. We're getting there.”