Owasso — Brooke Woods' overtime goal helped Owasso defeat Union 2-1 in the first round of the Class 6A girls soccer playoffs Monday night.
The Rams (13-2) will play Edmond North in Thursday's quarterfinals. The Red Hawks finished the season with 11 wins and 3 losses.
Shelby Sepulveda scored a goal early in the second half, and with Owasso playing tenacious defense from start to finish, things seemed to be going well.
However, the Rams were shown a yellow card at the crease with 36 seconds remaining, giving Union a penalty. Gracie Holmes quickly buried the Redhawks' attempt.
But Owasso responded, as Sepulveda raced up the left side and delivered a nice cross to Woods, who smashed it into the extra frame at 2:04.
“It was a team effort,” Woods said. “We went through some adversity, but we came back as a team. Shelby made some great runs (and passes), so we were grateful to be able to score the winning goal.”
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The first half was scoreless and the game was almost evenly matched. Sepulveda finally scored at 33:46 with a shot from near the top of the crease after scrambling off a corner kick.
Kinley Wilson then had several chances over the next 10 minutes, but Union keeper Viola Elena Shields made some good saves.
Thanks to the Rams' solid defense, the Redhawks didn't have many big scoring opportunities throughout the second half.
“Our philosophy is that the best offense comes from the defense,” Owasso head coach Abraham Kalil said. “It's all based on our defensive structure.”
Holmes had two chances in the first 15 minutes of the game, but Owasso keeper Lizzie Passwaters stopped them both about 20 yards out.
Near the 6:00 p.m. mark in the first half, Woods ran up the right side and broke through the Union defense, seizing a golden opportunity.
In the end, Woods took a straight shot near the penalty spot, but Shields made a big save.
Still, Woods and the rest of his teammates kept fighting. Even a shocking end to regulation couldn't stop the Rams' eventual advance.
“Words cannot express how proud I am of this group,” Khalil said. “They’ve been in situations like this before, so they know how to respond with their backs against the wall.”
Goal: Union, Holmes (PK). Owasso, Sepulveda, Woods (Sepulveda),. Saves: Union, Seal 8; Owasso, Passwaters 2.
