VERONA - They battled through 100 minutes of nothing for one moment that meant everything. And by the looks on the faces of the girls on the Middleton soccer team, the struggle was well worth it.
"This is a feeling unlike any other," said Cardinals senior goalkeeper Meghan Ledin, who never let a ball get past her Saturday afternoon as Middleton fought Oregon to a scoreless tie through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods before winning a penalty-kick shootout 2-0.
The victory gave Middleton a WIAA Division 1 sectional championship and a date with Waukesha West in a 5 p.m. state quarterfinal Thursday at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.
"Going into penalty kicks, I figured the chances were highly in our favor," said Middleton coach Mary Duffy, whose 14-4-4 team erased the bad memory of a last-minute loss to Madison West in a sectional final last year andadvanced to state for the first time since making three consecutive trips from 2005-2007.
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"We've been practicing for this situation all week, and having Ledin back there - maybe the best goaltender in the state - I thought our chances were good."
In a shootout, each team alternates taking up to five penalty kicks.
Oregon went first in each round. Senior Annie Zavoral went to the left side, and Ledin dived to bat it away. Sophomore Kelsey Jahn's shot caromed off a post, and senior Kara Jahn's try sailed over the net.
In between, Middleton seniors Bridget Arnold and Ryleigh Wolff found the back of the net, sandwiched around a wide-right miss by freshman Grace Douglas.
"I don't really get nervous," Wolff said of her penalty kick. "We've been practicing for this. We knew what to do."
So when Ledin dived to her left, anticipating the play and swallowing up a low shot by Oregon junior Hailie Schnabel on the Panthers' fourth penalty kick, it clinched it for Middleton.
"I guess I saw it going that way and I decided to take a chance," Ledin said. "I knew that if I got it, that was it. I was confident."
Ledin was confident throughout, barking out orders for her defensive players that paid off from start to finish. Although Oregon kept the ball on Middleton's side for the bulk of the game,The Panthers (17-2-2) didn't send any truly dangerous chances toward Ledin.
"At halftime, we made an adjustment and started using three forwards, trying to get something going," Oregon coach Julie Grutzner said. "But their defense was something. They had five or six behind the ball at all times. Even if you beat the first person, the second was right there."
Said Ledin, who had 11 saves: "My defense, I'm their No. 1 fan. When I ask them to do something, they do it right away."
Oregon 0 0 0 0 - 0
Middleton 0 0 0 0 - 0
Saves: O (Peckham) 9; M (Ledin) 11.
Penalty kicks: O - Zavoral (NG), Ke. Jahn (NG), Ka. Jahn (NG), Schnabel (NG); M - Arnold (G), Douglas (NG), Wolff (G).