Saranac Lake- Mikenna Valentine scored twice and Alison Van Schaik turned away 19 shots, but it wasn't enough to stop #1 ranked Mohawk Valley's undefeated season.
After the Hawks opened the scoring in the first half, the Saints got it back just :44 seconds later as Valentine placed a perfect direct kick into the upper corner to knot the score at 1-1.
The game went back and forth but remained tied at the end of the half. It was only the second time all season Mohawk Valley was tied at the half.
"We did very well in the first half. I thought the defense and midfield held up to them very well," said Saints Coach Kent Egglefield.
The Saints started out the second half very strong and nine minutes in, Carlijn van der Smeede hit Valentine on a long ball over the top she woul chip past the Hawks keeper for a 2-1 Saints lead. It was the first time Mohawk Valley had trailed in a game this season.
Unfortunately the lead wouldn't last long as MV tied three minutes later to tie it at two.
"I think when we took the lead we were kinda shell shocked for a minute and forgot what we were doing to get there." said Egglefield.
Ten minutes later the Hawks would score the game winner and go on to a 4-2 final.
"Once they took the lead in the middle of the half, our fatigue really started to show. It was like all the adrenaline we had wore off." added Egglefield.
Alison Van Schaik recorded a career high 19 saves as the sophomore keeper continually came up big.
"Alison stood on her head today and was simply amazing. It could have been 10-2 without her."
"Overall we played our tails off today and I cannot praise these kids enough for their efforts. It was a fun game."
Mikenna Valentine, Alyssa Summo, Cassidy Rushby, and Chloe Flannaghan all had standout games for the Saints.
North Country opens the 2022 Region III tournament Saturday hosting a quarter-final game verse Adirondack CC. Gametime is 2:00pm.
GOAT of the Game
Our GOAT of the Game is Sophomore Goalkeeper Alison Van Schaik from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Alison turned in a career high 19 saves against Mohawk Valley and help the Saints keep the #1 ranked team at bay. She made several key saves at several key moments to keep NCCC in the game. Alison has 5 shutouts on the season which not only is second most in the region, but gives her 14 for her career which is a school record for clean sheets! We are blessed and lucky to have had two years of Alison covering everyone's back. We couldn't be more proud of her. Congrats Alison!!
