PETOSKEY — The best of times, the worst of times. 
Anyone who has ever gone through a soccer shootout in a season-on-the-line scenario can attest to the fact that it is indeed just that. 
One side will be filled with instant triumph and relief, the other side an emptiness on the heels of so little control. 
The Gaylord and Petoskey girls’ soccer teams experienced those emotions and everything in-between Saturday in a Division 2 district championship matchup, with the Blue Devils tasting that sweet relief in a 2-1 shootout victory over the host Northmen. 
“Penalty shootout is probably the most ruthless event in at least the game of soccer,” Gaylord coach Chris Adams said. “The girls have a lot of experience in difficult moments. We took Marquette into overtime, so we’ve got some experience there and we have three shootouts in three years now in the postseason.”
That experience lifted a veteran Gaylord group to a district title, while overcoming two previous losses against Petoskey this season, as well as a second half deficit Saturday. 
“To be fair to Petoskey, they’re a great team, super awesome performance coaching by Zach and they should really be proud of their performance today as well,” Adams added. “For us, to get from where we were at the start, to where we are now, it’s all credit to the girls and what they’ve done.”
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What they did Saturday was go perfect on penalty kicks in the shootout, as Claire Gorno, Ella Cherwinski, Lily Willbee, Makena McVannel and Emma Gerstenberger played the hero role with the game on the line. 
Gerstenberger’s shot was the decisive score, as Petoskey had missed one prior for the first time after four previous goals. 
“Their five were perfect,” Petoskey coach Zach Jonker said. “You could tell they’ve been training them, we’ve been training them. It’s a tough way to have the season end, but it’s an incredible group of seniors. Having their leadership and that Big North Championship was really special for them.”
Petoskey was first to get on the board Saturday during regulation, with Annika Gandhi taking advantage of a through ball for a breakaway past her defender, leaving her one on one to score the first goal with 18 minutes remaining. 
Gaylord then tied things up with a Mariah Turner score with nine minutes left, leading to a pair of scoreless overtimes.
“We knew going in that they’re the most dangerous counter attacking team in the league and they found that one chance,” Jonker said. “We were perfect the whole game and then that one just kind of got knocked around and Mariah got in and it was a nice finish off the post.”
Adams credited his girls’ effort, though a big bonus was likely having played through two overtime periods against Marquette in the district just days prior. 
“In these games, when they go on, it allows you to learn how to manage the game and we had that experience last week,” he said. “We had to manage an extra 20 minutes and control that game. I think the work rate and effort of the girls is what was the difference today.”
The win moves Gaylord into a Division 2 regional semifinal against Midland High at 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 4 at Cadillac High School. The game was moved from Cedar Springs. 
Petoskey says goodbye to seniors Sydney Hoffman, Lauren Cole, Nora Johnston, Zoe Hardy, Quinn Matthews and Lia Czarnecki. 
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It’s a group that makes up a large chunk of Petoskey’s defensive backline and one Jonker will miss. 
“We’re going to miss our six seniors, but we’ve got a lot to build on coming back,” he said. “We’ll have a target on our back as the defending champs and we’ll have some work to do in the offseason to make sure we can score more goals next year.
“It shouldn’t take away from what the girls accomplished this season. Winning the league and having to show up every night over the course of 10 games is a heck of an accomplishment.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

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