By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Oct. 24: While Mike Hastings was on lab duty this afternoon, he saw Erika Golik walk by in the hallway. Words weren’t necessary, but his goalie made sure to deliver the two that the Steinert coach wanted to hear.
“I looked at her, she looked at me,” Hastings said. “She said, ‘I’m ready.’”
Oh, was she ever.
Playing the game of her career, “No Goal-ik” carried the 3rd-seeded Spartans to a Mercer County Tournament girls’ soccer semifinal victory over 2nd-seeded Pennington at Hopewell Valley High School tonight.
Steinert won on penalty kicks after regulation and two overtimes worth of scoreless soccer. The PKs were tied 3-3 after the regulation five. In sudden death, both teams missed their sixth attempt before Michaela Miranda scored on the seventh and Pennington shot wide.
In winning their 13th straight, Steinert (16-1-1) will meet top-seeded Allentown at 5 p.m. Thursday at The College of New Jersey. It is the Spartans first trip to the MCT finals since 2010, as they go for their first county crown since 2006.
They got there on the shoulders of their senior keeper, who was converted from a center-defensive midfielder prior to last year because the Spartans needed a goalie.
Golik made seven saves in regulation and two more in overtime against the Red Raiders (12-2), who have owned the MCT over the past decade. Aside from her saves – several of which were drop dead goal robbers — Golik also short-circuited numerous scoring opportunities by coming off the line to smother balls, or grabbing crosses through the box. She was aggressive but not reckless.
“Erika was phenomenal; best I’ve ever seen her,” said defender Tatiana Dorner, who was outstanding in her own right. “She was just so good. And I’m very proud she kept composure during those PKs.”
“Unbelievable,” Hastings said. “She kept us in the game during regulation (and OT). They’re a great team, they’re putting balls in, she’s tipping them over; she came off her line at the right time.”
Golik was happy but humble afterward.
“I was just in a zone,” she said. “I was playing my best game, just helping my defense and the team. We were ready. It’s an amazing feeling. It feels so good. Pennington is an amazing team, they played really great today.”
Golik set the tone in the final three minutes of the first half, when she tipped two dangerous shots over the goal; both at the last second.
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In the second half, a nice passing combo had Pennington looking at a 1-v-1 five yards from Golik before she came out to smother the ball before anyone could get a foot on it. Like any hot goalie, Erika got some luck when a Red Raider shot rifled off the post midway through the half.
Pennington had more dangerous chances throughout, but Steinert had much of the second-half possession. It nearly paid off with under 10 seconds left in regulation when Gianna “G” Pittaro broke free and launched a shot that Pennington goalie Mia Justus just got a piece of. That slowed the ball down just enough to allow a defender to sweep in and clear the ball inches from line.
Steinert had few chances in OT while Golik made four saves and also came out again to thwart a potential opportunity. Thus, still nothing to show for 100 minutes of soccer. Some of that had to do with Dorner’s inspired play.
“I was very pumped for this game,” the speedster said. “I know Pennington is an amazing team, I knew it would feel amazing just to beat them. I was worried about their offense, they had speed but we maintained. And number 8 (Molly Gibbard) was dangerous with the ball.”
“Tatiana did a phenomenal job,” Golik said. “I don’t know where I’d be without her and the rest of my defense.”
The PKs were a clinic in nerve-wracking, as the Spartans were twice just one Pennington score away from losing. Steinert shot first and missed, while Pennington made its first two. Miranda and Lynzie “Lou” Morgan both scored for the Spartans and Golik made the save on the Raiders third shot.
Pittaro gave Steinert a 3-2 lead before Pennington tied it. Justus made a phenomenal, one-handed diving stop on Maddie Klein to put the Raiders a PK away from winning it, but the shot went off the crossbar.
Each team missed their first sudden death shots, with Golik making another save; and Miranda’s shot became the game-winner when the Raiders final attempt went wide.
“I just go with my gut feeling and pick a side (to dive to),” Golik said of her PK strategy.
She added that playing on turf under the lights was not an issue, even though Steinert doesn’t do either very much.
“We trained on turf so that helped a lot,” she said. “Just repetition, doing it in practice.”
Hastings vouched for that.
“This is stuff we train on,” the coach said. “Her and G are in there 10 minutes after we’re gone from practice. G is working on PKs and Erika’s working on her step off the line. What a great kid, I’m so happy for her.”
During most of the season, the Spartans’ defense – with Golik organizing things – limited dangerous shots on goal so folks did not get to see how good she could be.
Tonight, they saw.
“She stepped up today big time,” Hastings said. “Today she was tested and she stepped up to the plate.”
The Spartans now have a chance for atonement as they meet a Redbird team that gave them their lone loss of the year, 2-0, on Sep. 13. Steinert is 14-0-1 since then.
“We’ve just gotta stay focused,” Hastings said. “Last game we fell asleep early, let up an early goal. We’ve just gotta get the first goal and see what happens. They’re a tough team, we know that. They’re a one seed for a reason, we just have to bring our A game.”
Dorner is ready for it.
“This means everything,” she said. “We’re really ready to get a banner. Our whole team, we’ve been working so hard for this.”
If the Spartans are like their goalie was tonight, they will be ready.
