Tigers Advance Past Mount on Penalty Kicks [VIDEO]

WOONSOCKET – Playing for a second straight day, the fifth-seeded pulled off a minor upset in the Division II girls’ soccer playoffs, winning 2-1 on penalty kicks against fourth-seeded Mount St. Charles on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Sarah Mauricio netted the winning goal for the Tigers, burying the fifth shot of the shootout in the upper-left corner of the net. Junior Jacqueline Wilson hit the first shot of the shootout, for Tiverton’s other goal.

However, the other hero for the Tigers was junior goalkeeper Haley Higginbottom. She made three saves during the shootout, before watching the final Mount kick sail about a foot over the crossbar for the win.

Mount’s lone goal in the game came in the shootout, off the foot of senior Danielle Deschene. Neither team scored in the 20 minutes of overtime .

Tiverton head coach Joe Gill said it was nice to be on the winning side of a shootout for once.

“In the past six years, I’ve had three penalty shootouts [counting Tuesday] and lost the first two,” he said. “It’s a lousy way to end a game, but you have to end it somehow.”

In Rhode Island playoff soccer, if teams are tied at the end of regulation, they play two 10-minute periods in their entirety, with the teams switching ends at halftime. There is no sudden death or golden goal in play.

Throughout the overtime, Higginbottom was challenged, as Mount applied most of the pressure, according to Mounties head coach Marek Wolny.

“The girls played a great game, and we pressed them for the full 20,” he said. “We had a great season, but Tiverton came here on a mission.”

Next year will mark a transition year for the Mounties – Eight seniors started on this year’s team. Wolny said Deschene, and seniors Allison and Caitlin Shea are exploring their options to play college soccer.

Although the Mounties lost in heartbreaking fashion on penalty kicks, Wolny said he had a great group of kids this year.

“I stress teamwork and unity and chemistry and bonding,” he said. “We had one big family this year, and it was a great experience.”

Tiverton continues in the Division II playoffs against a formidable opponent, the undefeated No. 1 seed Exeter-West Greenwich Scarlet Knights.

Gill said his team would be the underdog, which suited him just fine.

When asked what they would need to win, he said, “A perfect game and a little bit of luck, but we like being the underdog.”

The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday at East Greenwich High School. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday, but a rain date and location has not been announced.

The winner will play Mt. Hope or Lincoln in the Division II finals 2 p.m. Sunday at Rhode Island College.