Boyd Street Magazine June 2019

SPORTS

BY: COMMUNITY

JOSH HELMER

State Champs

Norman North Girls Soccer Wins 6A Crown

It helped that the Timberwolves have been in a state championship game before. Two years ago, Norman North fell to Tulsa Union, 2-0. They were down a body for a large stretch of the big game after an untimely red card.

But no amount of adversity was keeping these Timberwolves from the title this time around and they proved as much, defeating Mustang, 2-0, in the 6A girls soccer state title game at Taft Stadium.

Still, there were some nervous moments as senior defender Elle Abbey was assessed a red card with 22:59 remaining in the second half after colliding with Mustang’s Ellise Foreman, leaving North with just 10 players for the remainder of the game.

“Relax,” North head coach Trevor Laffoon told his squad after the red card. He reminded his team that they had been in a more precarious situation than this earlier in the season against

Norman High when they played the final 70 minutes down a player. North won that Crosstown Clash 1-0.

“For us, just having all those older players, you could tell right as it happened that everyone was talking to each other,’” Laffoon said. “We’re lucky we had that opportunity happen before the state title. It helped the girls mentally.”

Senior forward Jenna Miller detailed how her team kept it together.

“Our emotions were already running high. We were only up one goal. They were starting to get a little bit of momentum,” Miller said. “Jamie [McGinnis], Kenzie [Williams] and I, we all looked at each other and said, ‘we’re going to play for the people that are left on this field.’ That really calmed us down and made us just play for each other.”

North leaned on its defense and senior goalkeeper Allison Austin, who recorded five saves in the final 23 minutes. Then, the T-Wolves got the opening Laffoon had told his team to expect at halftime.

“I told the girls, ‘they’re going to start throwing players forward, throwing numbers forward, so we’re going to get one or two chances. We need to make sure we put them away,’” Laffoon said.

Senior midfielder Katie Fowler connected on a pass with Miller behind the defense who lofted her shot past Mustang keeper Ashlee Jackson at the front of the box and into the back of the net. Norman North had doubled its lead and gotten the breathe-easy goal they were looking for.

“When Katie got the ball, I started running because I knew if I could outrun the back line, I could get another goal,” Miller said.

Laffoon called it her best goal of her senior year.

“Right as Katie played the ball through,

I thought, ‘please score a goal.’ She relaxed. She placed it. It was a great goal,” Laffoon said.

The happiest person on North’s sideline just might have been Abbey.

“I just felt so bad for my team having to play a man down for the rest of the game in the state finals and, of course, was nervous that they would score and tie the game up. Right when Jenna scored, I was just so relieved,” Abbey said. “When she came off a little bit after that and we hugged each other, I said, ‘thank you so much. You just sealed the deal. We just won state.’”

North opened the scoring with 26:07 remaining in the first half off a set piece. Miller earned a Mustang foul and sent her free kick into the box outside the Bronco net where McGinnis headed it home into the goal’s left side.

As the final seconds ticked off from Taft Stadium, it brought North its second girls soccer state championship— first since 2014—and polished off the T-Wolves’ revenge tour. Along its path to the top, North avenged regular-season losses to Westmoore and Mustang and last season’s semifinal loss to Broken Arrow in the playoffs. The 3-1 setback on April 19 against Mustang cost North a District 6A-2 championship.

Senior defender Maddy Childers said it worked out in North’s favor.

“I think it did work to our advantage. We were heartbroken when we lost district, but it actually turned out perfect. We really set ourselves up nicely in the bracket. Basically, three out of our four playoff games were revenge games,” Childers said. “It was so special. When Jenna scored that second goal, I looked to my friends Allison and Jamie, the goalie and my fellow centerback, and I started crying. I knew it right at that second. We had just done it. We had really won state.”

En route to the championship, North beat Choctaw 5-0, Westmoore 1-0 in penalty kicks, Broken Arrow 2-1 and Mustang 2-0.

“When we beat Westmoore in PK’s, I was feeling pretty confident. PK’s in girls, it’s a big deal. Then, when you go to eight shooters and you win that, it was a big turning point for us,” Laffoon said.

After capturing the title, Laffoon was selected as The Oklahoman’s All-City Coach of the Year and Elle Abbey was chosen as the All-City Player of the Year.

“It means a lot. I can’t wait to play in the game,” Abbey said of the All-State game set to take place in June. – BSM

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