Poland works overtimefor title

Howland rallied from a 2-0 deficit, but Poland prevailed in the district championship.
By BILL SULLIVAN
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
POLAND -- When the emotional scars of their 3-2 overtime loss begin to heal, members of the Howland High girls soccer team can reflect on their dramatic charge at the end of regulation play Saturday.
Krista Ginnetti's 17-yard shot early in overtime lifted Poland past Howland in the Division I district championship game.
In the regional, Poland (15-3-1) will meet the winner of Walsh Jesuit-Parma Padua Franciscan at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Play-by-play
"Brit Davis passed me the ball," said Ginnetti, a junior forward who now has 11 goals. "My back was turned to the net and I just turned and shot it."
The blast went to the lower right corner of the net, but not before Howland sophomore goalie Amy Cornicelli dove and just tipped it.
"I think she might have got her fingers on it, but it was too hard of a hit so she couldn't save it," said Ginnetti. "I was trying to score; we needed to win."
Poland seemed poised to win after claiming a 2-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the match.
Howland, which opened the year 0-2 before posting a 17-match unbeaten streak, put together an offensive renaissance in the waning moments and scored twice in 90 seconds to tie it.
"The kids don't have any quit in them," said Howland coach Gary Anderson. "They just kept going hard and made a nice comeback there."
Taming the Tigers
For much of the match the Poland defenders, including Megan Bair, Laura Mauer, Mary Sutcliffe and Audrie Plant, held the Tigers' attack in check.
"We just weren't getting good looks," said Anderson. "We were rushing our shots."
Then Howland scored on a corner kick identical to the play Poland used to take its 2-0 lead at the break.
With the match just two minutes old, Poland senior Taryn Carlson boomed in a shot from 28 yards out that skimmed off the hands of Cornicelli.
"I knew they didn't have their starting goalie in," said Carlson, who was just selected the district Div. I player of the year by the local coaches association.
Cornicelli was inserted in goal when Anderson moved Darcy Quinlan to midfield.
"The goalie was shorter. I knew if we shot the ball high we'd be able to score," said Carlson, who played the entire 100-minute game.
Just a minute before the half Poland went up 2-0 on a corner kick. Carlson played the ball in and Mauer, a defender, struck a scoring shot from the top corner of the box.
That lead held up until Howland's Allyson Hovance knocked one in from 20 yards out with 4:44 remaining.
"On their corner kicks Howland was bringing up everyone," said Poland coach Jim Sutman. "It's impossible to cover everybody.
"The girl who scored their first goal, we didn't have marked. That's how we scored a goal in the first half."
Penalty kick
Howland (11-3-6) attacked with new found zeal and Mauer was called for a handball in the goalie's box with three minutes remaining.
Howland junior Sarah Mangiarelli scored a penalty kick just beyond the reach of Poland's Landry Yankle, giving her 26 goals, and forcing the extra play.
"They were very aggressive and tenacious," said Sutman of Howland. "I think it's a testament to their fortitude.
"That's the way they played the whole match. Things finally bounced their way towards the end."
Then Ginnetti answered on a perfect entrance pass from Davis.