She was later called up for a nonleague contest against Chautauqua Lake and it’s pretty likely she’s carved herself a permanent role on the varsity squad.

Through 80 minutes of action the Cardinals could only manage one goal along with a bunch of chances, but in the 85th minute Smith’s relentless attack was finally rewarded when she capitalized on a pass from Gianna Bowles with a perfectly placed strike into the top left corner for a 2-1 overtime victory.

“That’s our eighth-grader and she just moved up today,” Randolph head coach Alexa Troutman said about Smith. “That was a confidence booster for us and a celebration for the whole team. We’re really proud of her.”

Smith’s strike delivered Randolph (2-0) its second overtime win in as many games this season, also coming back from a 1-0 deficit in the second half.

Randolph’s Jade Miller, left, and Chautauqua Lake’s Eliana Ludwig battle for possession at midfield during Thursday’s nonleague match at Raymond Van Wie Stadium in Randolph. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

“We’re happy with the wins,” Troutman added. “We have a lot of new faces, so we’re still in the phase of putting things together and getting better every single game. We have a young team so bringing the intensity up and finishing games.”

Randolph had most of the offensive pressure in the first half, but it was Chautauqua Lake (0-2) scoring its first goal of the season in the 27th minute when Karie Tarr got a pass to Eliana Ludwig in the box and she had no problem finishing from close range for the 1-0 lead.

Instead of Randolph capitalizing on any of its chances in the first half it was Chautauqua Lake finding the back of the net on its first shot on goal. It was evident that both squads were in the midst of finding their scoring touch, coming back with young squads and missing pieces from a year ago.

“I feel like we played really well,” Chautauqua Lake head coach Cole Gleason said. “I think both teams are pretty evenly matched which is kind of fun to see. Being nonleague we were trying to find out different positions, we have a different team this year. It was a lot of fun to watch them play, they played really hard.”

Chautauqua Lake is looking for its new offensive identity after graduating 2023 OBSERVER/Post-Journal Player of the Year Jada Cole to Edinboro University, so the Eagles have tried many different looks in the lineup searching for that spark.

Chautauqua Lake goalkeeper Lucy Gates slides for a save during Thursday’s game. OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms

“Jada is a unique player and she’s a hard player to fill in,” Gleason said about this year’s team. “So we came to the mindset that we’re just going to have a brand new team. It’s actually been fun piecing things together and the girls have stepped up. For being as young and the talent we have, they do so well. I’m really impressed with the team this year.”

While figuring out what’s best for the Chautauqua Lake lineup, senior goalkeeper Lucy Gates has made it easier figuring that out on the fly.

Gates made 17 saves against the Cardinals, stunning several players on the counterattack by rushing the fast break or standing tall for a save on a breakaway.

“Lucy is just one of a kind,” Gleason said about his goalkeeper. “She’s not afraid of anything and we were trying to work on giving her more space and holding the line which was a little bit scary at moments because those through balls can get there, but we trust Lucy is going to get them. We focus on trying to get them offsides, but also letting Lucy have room to do her thing.”

The one time Randolph did get the best of Gates in regulation was seven minutes into the second half when a chaotic sequence in the box saw Ava Sears connect with Bowles, who found the ball on her foot for a swift kick home to bring the score level 1-1.

“She brings leadership, knowledge of the game,” Troutman said about Bowles. “Really wherever we need someone to control the game we put her. If we are losing the ball at midfield that’s where we put her, if we need someone to play the ball forward then put a through ball that’s where we put her. She’s ready to go wherever we need, that’s why she’s a captain and leader on this team.”

From that point it looked like the Cardinals would add another tally to secure the game in regulation, but the Chautauqua Lake defense kept them at bay and Gates continued to rise to the occasion.

In the 75th minute, Gates made three big saves including stopping a pair of breakaways with one leading to a big rebound which she stopped.

It was apparent there would have to be a perfect shot to get past Gates and that finally came in the 85th minute when the eighth-grade Smith sailed a perfect shot into the top corner from Bowles.

“We’re trying to figure out who we are offensively,” Troutman added. “Getting shots on goal really boosts our confidence, especially throughout the game getting more shots on goal we felt more confident. It’s really the process of figuring out who we are offensively.”