TAWAS AREA / STANDISH-STERLING / PINCONNING - May 31, 2005 - District soccer kicked off on Tuesday evening, with three local teams playing Division 3 contests. Tawas Area topped Essexville Garber 7-0, Gladwin edged Pinconning 2-1 and Standish-Sterling lost a heartbreaker to Freeland on penalty kicks after playing to a scoreless tie through two overtimes.

"What a game," said Standish-Sterling coach John Rudberg after the Panthers' loss. "It would have been worth twice the price of admission. Obviously, I would have liked a different result, but what are you going to do? We had our chances and just couldn't get one, while one bad bounce would have ended the season for us in regulation or overtime."

The Panthers held Freeland to three shots in the first half, and in an effort to get some fresh legs on the offensive end Rudberg switched Kelly Steele into goal.

"Fortunately (Steele) is very good because in the 35 minutes Kelly was in goal Freeland generated some offense and she made nine saves. A couple of them were outstanding to keep us in the game.

Leanne Golimbieski played the rest of the game in goal, finishing with seven saves, while with Steele out in the field the Falcons managed just five more shots.

SSC had several quality opportunities to score, with Candace Campau getting off "three or four good opportunities on her own," Rudberg said. "Candace, being the competitor she is, would have picked up the Freeland keeper with the ball and carried her across the goal if that were legal."

After 80 scoreless minutes of regulation and two 15-minute overtime periods, each team was awarded five penalty kicks, with Freeland outscoring the Panthers 2-1.

"We've got a great group of juniors coming back so the future looks good, but I feel bad for my seniors, Rebecca Lowry, Kelly Kelly Steele and Melissa Rudberg," John Rudberg said. "Rebecca's been on the team for three years, overcame personal tragedy, came back to start and just got better and better as the year wore on.

"Our captains, Kelly and Melissa, have been with the team for five years, beginning as student managers in the eighth grade and have been solid team players and contributors for four years. I'll miss them a lot.

"All in all for the adversity and injuries this team had to overcome, it was a good year; they could have folded their tents long ago and nobody would have blamed them."

The Panthers finished their season at 5-11-1 overall. Freeland takes on Oscoda in second-round action.

Tawas Area advanced to a second-round match with Gladwin with it's 7-0 shutout of the Dukes. Kadra Stec and Sarah Klenow each scored twice, with Kellie Kasischke, Asia Finnell and Kristine Jackson each adding a goal. Klenow, Jackson, Stephanie LaHaye and Alicia Drumm each had assists as the Braves improved to 12-6.

Pinny saw its season end at the hands of Gladwin as Cassandra Dennis scored the Spartans' lone goal.

"It was a close and exciting game," said Pinny coach Stan Donajkowski. "Both teams should be proud and congratulated for their efforts."

Kristine Curler, Andrea Wackerle and Elisabeth Salmgren also had shots on goal for Pinny, which finished at 2-13.