By Ted Waddell
LIVINGSTON MANOR — October 24, 2003 – As darkness descended over the soccer field late Tuesday afternoon, the OCIAA Division VI girls’ soccer game between the host Lady Wildcats of Livingston Manor and The Family School Lady Falcons was tied at 3-3 at the conclusion of regulation play.
But with the season winding down toward the sectionals, the referees said “play on!”
The game was decided in favor of the Lady Wildcats at 7:31 in the first of two 10-minute overtime periods as Jessica Bouton fired one past Lady Falcon goalie Christine Watson to give Livingston Manor a hard-won 4-3 victory in the dark.
The teams had battled to a 2-2 tie in the first 40 minutes of play.
Tegan Kern scored for Manor at 34:42 of the first half, followed by a goal by Tiffany Parker at 9:19 to give the Lady Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
In the closing minutes of the first half, however, the Lady Falcons fought back with two goals. At 3:54, Patty Irish beat Lady Wildcat keeper Elizabeth Weickum, and with 36 seconds left until halftime, Lady Falcon freshman forward Jamie Baldisan put one into the net to tie it up at 2-2.
In the second half, each squad scored a goal to make it a 3-3 contest.
At the 32:19 mark, sophomore forward Heather Sherwood scored for Manor (7-7, 4-6 Division VI).
At 8:15, it was back to a tied game on a shot by Irish for The Family School (7-9-1, 3-7 Division VI).
Watson finished the game with 21 saves, while Weickum was credited with 10 saves.
“It was a good, well-played game by both teams,” Manor Coach Shirlee Davis said.
“It was our senior game, and they played up,” she added.
The contest was the last home match for several Manor seniors – Bouton, Melissa Hoos, Tegan Kern, Mary Mills, Danielle Murphy, Jennifer Taggart, Lin Wagner and Weickum.
Family School Coach Alex Carroll said both teams were evenly matched, noting his team defeated Manor by a final score of 4-3 earlier this season at The Family School’s soccer field.
“Both sides played hard,” he said.