One, Royalton-Hartland, will see its season continue.

The other, Fredonia, will not.

That’s the cruel reality of a penalty-kick shootout in the postseason.

The third-seeded Rams converted all four of their penalty kicks while their goalkeeper Reanna Perkins stopped two of four attempts by the top-seeded Hillbillies to send Royalton-Hartland into Tuesday’s Section VI Class B crossover game against Class B1 champion Lewiston-Porter at Williamsville East High School.

Fredonia’s Lila Cameron looks to make a pass during Saturday’s game. OBSERVER Photo by Jason Bauer

“We’ve been positive all season long. Even when our unbeaten streak starting gaining more momentum, these girls never got too tight, they stayed loose, they support each other, they battle for each other,” Fredonia head coach Dan Tomaszewski said. “I feel really bad for our girls. In a game like this, unfortunately, there has to be someone who doesn’t move on, who doesn’t win.”

Senior Emily Timmerman took Fredonia’s first attempt of the shootout and shot to her right, but Perkins made a diving stop with her left hand to keep the ball out of the net.

Rams freshman Kaitlyn Mettler followed with a goal to the right of Hillbillies keeper Kyleigh Waterman before Fredonia junior Annie Gondek got her team on the scoreboard with a goal into a high corner of the net.

Royalton-Hartland junior Nadia White then scored, again to Waterman’s right, before Perkins made her second save of the shootout on junior Claire Marshall’s attempt to her right.

“Reanna Perkins is a phenomenal person and just a phenomenal athlete as well. She gives her heart to it,” Royalton-Hartland head coach Rich Jennings said. “She is one of our leaders out there. I’m so proud of her. She never gives up.”

“It’s a really big spot to be in for a young kid. They think: ‘I don’t want to miss the net. I need to put it on frame,'” Tomaszewski said. “When you do that, you don’t really pick a corner too much.”

Senior Kara Choate, the second-leading goal scorer in all of Section VI with 38 goals, gave her team a commanding 3-1 lead with a shot high into the middle of the net and after Fredonia junior Rylee Beers made it 3-2, Rams junior Grace Parker sealed the deal with a goal low to Waterman’s left.

“We missed four straight PKs and lost a tournament with a horrible showing in PKs,” Jennings said of an early season showing in Holley. “It was one of those moments where we said ‘girls, we need to work on this,’ and we’ve worked on it all season not knowing when the moment would come.”

The teams played to a 1-1 draw through 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of a first overtime and 10 more minutes of sudden-death overtime.

After a 0-0 first half, Choate got loose for a couple of chances early in the second half. With just over 36 minutes remaining, the striker hit the post to Waterman’s right and about 10 minutes later, Fredonia’s keeper made a huge save on a point-blank chance.

But other than that, Fredonia’s back line of Timmerman, senior Emma Willebrandt, junior Josephine Tomaszewski and Marshall were able to contain Choate’s speed. Marshall drew the one-on-one challenge of defending Royalton-Hartland’s best player.

“The defense on our team has been our backbone all season long. In 19 games, we’ve given up 11 goals, including the one today,” Tomaszewski said. ” … (Choate’s) a special player. I’m just proud of our team defense on her to keep her off the stat sheet.”

With 17:09 remaining, the Rams finally broke through. While Fredonia did a masterful job of defending inside the 18-yard box, it was an unmarked shot from long distance that put the Hillbillies behind 1-0.

Royalton-Hartland junior Grace Trombley dropped a ball to the middle of the field and White took a shot from nearly 35 yards out that tucked in just under the crossbar.

“It’s a cruel game sometimes,” Tomaszewski said. ” … She placed that right where it needed to be and there wasn’t much our keeper could’ve done about it.”

“Nadia’s was a beautiful shot,” Jennings said. “That’s something we’ve been working with Nadia all week. She has a powerful foot.”

Finally, in the final five minutes, Fredonia made the push it needed to tie the game.

With just under four minutes left, Timmerman took a free kick that got away from Perkins, but no Hillbillies were there to pounce on the rebound. Then, with 2:24 left in regulation, Fredonia was awarded a penalty kick when a player was taken down inside the 18-yard box.

Timmerman left no doubt with her chance, powering a shot off a diving Perkins into the corner of the goal to the keeper’s right.

“Ice in her veins all season,” Tomaszewski said. “She’s been cool, calm and collected all season.”

The Rams had the better opportunities in overtime, including a penalty kick by Choate that Waterman made a diving save on with just over eight minutes remaining in the second half of the first overtime.

“She was hard on herself. It was a big moment and a good opportunity,” Jennings said. “One of the things we remind her about is: you are not defined by a moment that happens on the field out here. Your value, your identity and your purpose in life is so much deeper than a ball in a net. Don’t allow what happens in one of these moments to distract you from what’s true about you.”

Choate and her teammates made sure they capitalized once they got to the shootout.