Nora Chouanard (15) of Orono celebrated with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. Photo: CARLOS GONZALEZ • cgonzalez@startribune.com
Orono coach Erin Murray was already preparing for a possible shootout. But her star freshman, Nora Chouanard, knew there was time left on the clock and she didn’t want things to go on much longer.
With time running down in overtime, Murray paused and trained her attention on the field, knowing Chouanard’s reputation as a goal-scorer.
Her timing could scarcely have been better. With 56 seconds left in overtime, Chouanard cut across the box, took a pass from teammate Gabby Hyrkas and hit a low shot that scooted past Holy Angels goalkeeper Rachel Kawiecki, giving the Spartans a 2-1 victory.
“I think it was my favorite big goal I’ve scored,” said Chouanard, who has scored plenty of goals over her high school and club soccer careers. “It was amazing.”
The spectre of shootout of penalty kicks was looming, but Chouanard made certain that didn’t happen.
Photo gallery: Class 1A girls' semifinals
“I saw that we had a little over a minute left and I said to myself ‘I don’t want to go into PKs [penalty kicks]’,” Chouanard said. “PKs are scary. I wanted to win right then.”
Chouanard’s heroics had even Murray, who is in her 15th season as the Spartans’ coach, fired up.
“Usually I’m pretty composed when we win big games, but I think I was in a full-out sprint after that,” she said. “I was pretty excited.”
In a scoreless first half, the two teams played it close. Then barely a minute into the second half, Holy Angels took a 1-0 lead on a 20-yard left-rocket by junior Mia Van der Heide. It appeared that goal might stand until Chouanard tied it up with a left-footed shot at 67:11, setting up overtime.
“This has been an issue for us all season. We just struggle to maintain our level,” Holy Angels coach Dave Marshak said. “The first 20 minutes of the second half, things were going the way we wanted them to. We just had a little dip in form. At this level, at this stage, once you have a dip, other teams are going to punish you for it.”
The victory sends Orono to Class 1A championship game Thursday for the third consecutive year against Mahtomedi, which won the previous two meetings.
“I feel like we’ll have a lot of fire for the game,” Murray said. “I think the girls wanted to see Mahtomedi in the championship game. I think they’re pumped to get back there.”
First report
Freshman Nora Chounanard’s second goal of the game with 56 seconds left in overtime lifted Orono to a 2-1 victory over Holy Angels in a Class 1A semifinal.
After a scoreless first half Monday at U.S. Bank Stadium, Mia Van der Heide gave Holy Angels a 1-0 lead on a 20-yard shot in the 42nd minute.
Chouanard tied the score 1-1 in the 68th minute, setting up the overtime.
Orono (18-2-1) will meet Mahtomedi for the state championship Thursday. It will be the third consecutive year the two teams have played in the final, with Mahtomedi winning both of the previous games.
Check back later for more on the game.
