By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — A rivalry game that good deserved a winning goal that great.
Sierra Robinson’s game-winning strike just beat the outstretched hands of Sequim goalkeeper Claire Henninger, softly hitting the bottom of the crossbar and bouncing down and in, to cap Port Angeles’ three-goal second half rally and boost the Roughriders to a 3-2 triumph over the Wolves.
Robinson’s goal came in the 55th minute and was assisted by fleet-footed freshman Emilia Long.
The senior was mobbed by her teammates at the end of the game and was moved to tears in her final game on the Civic Field turf.
“[Long] was carrying the ball on the outside of the 18[-yard box] and she had like four defenders on her, so it left me wide open right in front of the goal,” Robinson said. “I just yelled as loud as I could and she played a perfect ball to me and I don’t even remember shooting, but I did, and the next thing I knew it was in the net.
“I heard the dink [of the ball tapping the crossbar] and it was a good moment.”
Robinson said scoring the game-winning goal on senior night against her school’s rival was something special.
“You can’t beat it really, you can’t beat the feeling,” she said. “I’m really sad because I don’t want to stop to playing on this field.”
But what a memory she and her fellow Riders earned.
Port Angeles appeared to have scored twice in the first half, but both goals were disallowed due to offsides calls — each instance drawing disbelief from Riders coach Scott Moseley.
Sequim took advantage soon after the first offsides call when sophomore Jessica Dietzman deftly split the Riders’ defense up the middle and dribbled through for a solidly struck shot that beat Port Angeles goalkeeper Bonnie Sires in the 29th minute.
Sequim’s second goal came on a penalty kick taken by Henninger in the 35th minute.
Henninger was the primary difference in the first half, stymying multiple Rider shots on goal, many from point-blank range.
“She’s outstanding,” Wolves coach Derek Vander Velde said of the reigning All-Peninsula girls soccer MVP. “She shows up every game and is always on fire. She’s phenemonal. I can’t be more happy with her as a goalkeeper or as a leader.”
Port Angeles’ comeback was underway three minutes into the second half when the Riders drew a penalty kick and senior Shanzi Cosgrove stepped up and sent a shot past Henninger — after a friendly bit of chatter between the club soccer teammates.
“Part of that is they are very good friends, so they were both in each other’s heads about which way she was going to go [with the shot],” Moseley said. “And so she calmly finished it.”
Six minutes later Port Angeles senior Emily Boyd tied the game when she pounced on a ball that Robinson sent her way after a scramble in the box.
“We had a couple of those and she was finally able to get one in front and finish from very close range,” Moseley said.
And six minutes after Boyd’s equalizer, Robinson added the final strike with a finesse finish.
“And Cee-Cee [Robinson] just had an amazing shot at the end,” Moseley said. “To be able to hit that, just put it under the crossbar and above Claire’s hand. A great way to go out on senior night for Cee-Cee.”
Both Robinson and Moseley said the team remained confident at halftime despite the disallowed goals and the strong play in goal by Henninger.
“Confidence, really. I think at halftime we all knew we deserved to win and we all knew we were going to win,” Robinson said. “It just made us a tiny bit frustrated but we knew it was unfair, so we wanted to get it back the right way.”
Moseley said his team remained upbeat at halftime.
“They were pretty confident that if we could get a goal back that we would be able to turn the tide,” he said. “I think it’s one of the few times I’ve been able to have a team come back from two down. So they played really confidently, they were able to finish and they did the job.
“We just said there is urgency, but relax. Sometimes if you push it too far, you get out of sorts. Just keep playing soccer, and they were able to do that.”
And Robinson, tears and all, walked off with a happy memory in her final Civic Field contest.
