Comets clip Columbus girls

Overtime had been forced, but in the final minute of the first overtime period, there was almost nothing that could have been done to prevent what seemed to be the perfect shot.

West Liberty?s Sarah Seele connected on a 35-yard lob shot which went over the outstretched arm of Columbus goalie Julissa Ramirez, and ended the game, as the Wildcats fell, 2-1, to the Comets.

?That was just unstoppable,? Columbus girls? soccer head coach Gabe Benitez said. ?We didn?t have somebody on that opponent, and she was wide open and it went over to the corner and we couldn?t stop it.?

The loss put Columbus at 1-4 on the season and it marked the fourth overtime game of the season, and fourth consecutive loss after beating Washington 3-2 in the season-opening game.

Despite a number of Wildcat chances in the first half, West Liberty got on the board first as Seele went to the bottom-right part of the goal in the 27th minute to give the Comets a one-goal advantage, which would last until halftime.

In the second half, Benitez said his team had to make a couple of adjustments.

?In the first half, we weren?t communicating and we weren?t being tough or physical,? Benitez said. ?The other team was pushing us around. We needed to be communicating and use the knockout drill that we?ve been practicing. Be tough and square up. We came back out and had more control of the ball in that second half.?

That control rendered quick benefits for the Wildcats, as Bailey Stroud put in a goal, two minutes into the second half to tie the game up.

The two teams battled to a stalemate for the rest of regulation, sending the game to an extra period.

Columbus? best chance in the overtime period came on a breakaway five minutes in, but the ball took a bad bounce and went out of bounds. After that, West Liberty fought back and eventually won in the 89th minute off the foot of Seele.

?I yell out there and tell them, ?That?s what I want to see,?? Benitez said. ?The more shots we take, the better the chance is that the ball will go in.  If you keep your head up, that?s what I want to see. Just keep on taking those shots.?

Things don?t get easier for the Wildcats, as they host No. 2 ranked Regina on Tuesday afternoon.

?We?ll have a tough one against Regina, No. 2 in the state, but last year we played Assumption and we held them to 7-0,? Benitez said. ?If we can hold them to 7-0 and play a full game, that?s a win (to me). Let?s do the same thing to Regina. Let?s push them to their limits, take them to 0-0 and go to penalties.?

The game is set to start at 7 p.m. with a JV match at 5 p.m.