Sabrina Shotland's OT goal gives Kellenberg CHSAA girls soccer state championship
Kellenberg celebrates its 1-0 victory over Xaverian in the CHSAA girls soccer state final at the College of Staten Island on Sunday. Credit: Dylan Thiessen
Sabrina Shotland saved her best for last.
It came down to the wire, and the clock was winding down. Abby Woodruff dribbled down the sideline and found Shotland, who used a spin move to create separation between two defenders and blasted an 18-yard shot into the top of the net.
Game over.
Shotland scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Kellenberg's 1-0 win over Xaverian to secure the CHSAA girls soccer state championship Sunday afternoon at the College of Staten Island. With the win, Kellenberg captured its first state title in program history.
"I haven't taken that one banger all season," Shotland said. "All season everyone said take that one shot, and I don't think the timing could've been any better."
"This game was tougher than we thought," junior defender Cassidy Durnan said. "But we put in the work for the past two and a half months, and it's really paid off."
Kellenberg has a high-powered attack from Olivia Gordon, Brooke Segura, Durnan, and Woodruff. But this time, it was Shotland, and coach Suzanne Sluka had faith that her freshman midfielder could execute in crunch time.
"I told [assistant coach] Jacqui [Brown] on the bus, I'm waiting for Sabrina to have her moment," Sluka said. "She has great footwork and has a killer shot. I always wanted her to rip one."
It was a physical game throughout. The Clippers were bumping the Firebirds and cutting off angles. However, Kellenberg matched that physicality.
Junior defender Amarah Pessoa stood out. Xaverian’s offense struggled to create easy opportunities against Pessoa's defense. Even when a forward beat her, she used her speed to recover and stopped the shot.
"I learned patterns," Pessoa said. "You have to pay attention to how offensive players move. Once you get that, you can anticipate what they're going to do."
Star midfielder Gordon exited the game due to an ankle injury. The Firebirds went over to Gordon, who was being treated, and said, "We're going to win this for you," making the win even more special.
"Every time she steps on the field, she leaves it all out there," Durnan said. "She's my best friend, and I wanted to play this for her."
Brooke Jioia, a Long Beach native, made six saves for Xaverian (15-1).
"[Kellenberg] is a group of very smart players," Xaverian coach Erin Meagher said. "They are super athletic and technical, and we had to rise to the occasion."
The Firebirds (14-4-3) return 18 players, and they believe they will be right back in the mix next year.
"We proved everybody wrong. I'm so proud of these girls. I would not want to have this achievement with any other group of girls," Pessoa said. "This is a memory I will cherish forever."
Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.
