The junior defender won the game with a sure-footed PK.
Lauren Robb wanted the chance to take the kick.
With just under a minute to go in regulation in Thursday’s game between Hickman and Camdenton, the referees awarded a penalty kick to the Kewpies after Camdenton’s goalkeeper wiped out Hickman’s Caitlin Keith during a free kick. As soon as the referee ran and pointed to the penalty mark, Robb approached Kewpies coach Jon Strodtman.
“All I heard was a bunch of yelling and then the ref pointed to the PK line,” the junior defender said. “I wanted it, so I asked Coach.”
After a brief hesitation, Robb put the ball into the lower right corner of the goal, giving the Kewpies a 1-0 lead and their second straight win. She said that the right mind-set turns penalty kicks into goals.
“If you’re confident enough, you can usually get it in there,” Robb said. She went on to say that while she may have been a little nervous, she was prepared because she always chooses the same side on penalty kicks.
“If I switch the side, I’ll probably miss because it isn’t my full thing there,” Robb said. “It’s not all confidence.
The call that set up the penalty kick was met with plenty of displeasure from Camdenton players and fans. Immediately after the call, several Lakers ran to the referee at the penalty line, pleading their case. After the game, one of the Camdenton fans’ cries of “Terrible call! Let the girls decide the outcome!” could be heard from the field. Strodtman said that while the situation made the call controversial, it was the correct decision.
“The keeper came out and wiped out my player without hitting the ball,” Strodtman said. “If she would have gotten the ball and the player, then that’s soccer. It was goalie hitting player, and that’s a foul.”
While Strodtman was pleased with the win, he said that the team has to start turning scoring chances into goals.
“We got to learn to get it in the net,” Strodtman said, shaking his head. “You can’t really teach that, though.”
The Kewpies (2-3) kept control of the ball for the majority of the game, but their runs to the goal always ended in errant shots or stops by the Camdenton defense. Hickman has been shut out in three games this year, and Robb agreed that the Kewpies need to work in materializing scoring opportunities.
“We’ve got to nail the shots,” Robb said. “It’s just hard, being a defender, seeing them. You just get so frustrated.”