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As she stepped between the posts to face her first penalty kick of the night, Claremore goalkeeper Ella Ramsey didn’t overthink it.
Although nervous, she quieted the chaos in her mind and wore a calm and stoic demeanor, relying on her natural instinct for the ball to guide her. That instinct drove her into a perfect right-side dive that denied Duncan’s Sydney Miller and set the tone for a shootout the Lady Zebras would own.
Ramsey’s early heroics and a clutch clincher from Allison “Pickle” Wiseman — whose shot kissed off the right post and into the net — delivered Claremore a 0-0 (4-1 PK) victory over the Lady Demons in the Class 5A state quarterfinals Friday night at Lantow Field.
It was Ramsey’s second shootout win of the season — her first coming in a pivotal April 4 district match against Booker T. Washington.
“I was honestly just freaking out,” Ramsey said. “I don’t think anything was really going through my mind, I was just like, ‘You gotta get the ball no matter what.’”
The win sends Claremore (12-1) to its second-consecutive state semifinal, where it will host Bishop Kelley at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Lady Comets (11-5) defeated Bishop McGuinness 7-0 in their quarterfinal.
Once Ramsey and Emma Easton — who took the first PK of the night before the crucial save — set the tone, their teammates took care of the rest.
Ava Rooney and Annie Payne both calmly buried their kicks before Wiseman stepped to the spot with a chance to seal it. Her shot ricocheted off the right post and spun into the net — a moment of drama befitting the gritty match that preceded it.
Duncan (10-5) missed its second attempt over the crossbar before scoring on its third, but it wasn’t enough. Claremore converted four straight to clinch the win without needing a fifth shooter.
“I was just trying to keep myself calm,” Wiseman said. “I wish it wouldn’t have hit the post, but I’m not disappointed — it went into the goal.”
For 100 minutes, neither team could break through.
The Lady Zebras generated 19 total shots — nine in the first half, seven in the second and three in extra time — but Duncan’s defense held firm.
Meanwhile, the Lady Demons, who were limited to just two shots in the first 80 minutes, found an extra gear early in the first half of overtime and matched their regulation shot total in a flurry of early aggression.
Claremore remained solid, though, and flipped the field in the second overtime period, outshooting Duncan 3-0 down the stretch.
“It’s a matter of probability for us, and that’s something we’ve continued to struggle with,” Claremore coach Miranda Thore said. “I’m proud of them for creating chances, for sure, but big games take a goal. I’m not happy that it went to PKs, but we knew going into it that the playoffs are crazy. We just gotta continue to keep going. We didn't score, we didn't score in regulation but they continued to try and get numbers in the box. Hopefully we get a little more lucky next game.”
With the win, the Lady Zebras punched their ticket back to the semifinals, this time looking to write a new ending.
The memory of last year’s exit to Holland Hall lingers, but with Ramsey rock solid in goal and the defense finding ways to finish under pressure, Claremore is once again on the doorstep of a state title shot.
“That season, it was kind of unexpected,” Thore said. “We didn’t finish first in district, and we were just kind of an underdog. Now we’re hosting, and this is the path that we’ve been talking to the girls about all season long. It feels like this is for us.”
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Although nervous, she quieted the chaos in her mind and wore a calm and stoic demeanor, relying on her natural instinct for the ball to guide her. That instinct drove her into a perfect right-side dive that denied Duncan’s Sydney Miller and set the tone for a shootout the Lady Zebras would own.
Ramsey’s early heroics and a clutch clincher from Allison “Pickle” Wiseman — whose shot kissed off the right post and into the net — delivered Claremore a 0-0 (4-1 PK) victory over the Lady Demons in the Class 5A state quarterfinals Friday night at Lantow Field.
It was Ramsey’s second shootout win of the season — her first coming in a pivotal April 4 district match against Booker T. Washington.
“I was honestly just freaking out,” Ramsey said. “I don’t think anything was really going through my mind, I was just like, ‘You gotta get the ball no matter what.’”
The win sends Claremore (12-1) to its second-consecutive state semifinal, where it will host Bishop Kelley at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Lady Comets (11-5) defeated Bishop McGuinness 7-0 in their quarterfinal.
Once Ramsey and Emma Easton — who took the first PK of the night before the crucial save — set the tone, their teammates took care of the rest.
Ava Rooney and Annie Payne both calmly buried their kicks before Wiseman stepped to the spot with a chance to seal it. Her shot ricocheted off the right post and spun into the net — a moment of drama befitting the gritty match that preceded it.
Duncan (10-5) missed its second attempt over the crossbar before scoring on its third, but it wasn’t enough. Claremore converted four straight to clinch the win without needing a fifth shooter.
“I was just trying to keep myself calm,” Wiseman said. “I wish it wouldn’t have hit the post, but I’m not disappointed — it went into the goal.”
For 100 minutes, neither team could break through.
The Lady Zebras generated 19 total shots — nine in the first half, seven in the second and three in extra time — but Duncan’s defense held firm.
Meanwhile, the Lady Demons, who were limited to just two shots in the first 80 minutes, found an extra gear early in the first half of overtime and matched their regulation shot total in a flurry of early aggression.
Claremore remained solid, though, and flipped the field in the second overtime period, outshooting Duncan 3-0 down the stretch.
“It’s a matter of probability for us, and that’s something we’ve continued to struggle with,” Claremore coach Miranda Thore said. “I’m proud of them for creating chances, for sure, but big games take a goal. I’m not happy that it went to PKs, but we knew going into it that the playoffs are crazy. We just gotta continue to keep going. We didn't score, we didn't score in regulation but they continued to try and get numbers in the box. Hopefully we get a little more lucky next game.”
With the win, the Lady Zebras punched their ticket back to the semifinals, this time looking to write a new ending.
The memory of last year’s exit to Holland Hall lingers, but with Ramsey rock solid in goal and the defense finding ways to finish under pressure, Claremore is once again on the doorstep of a state title shot.
“That season, it was kind of unexpected,” Thore said. “We didn’t finish first in district, and we were just kind of an underdog. Now we’re hosting, and this is the path that we’ve been talking to the girls about all season long. It feels like this is for us.”
Continue reading...
