It wasn't the first time Liberty defender, Julia Mello, saved a goal from inside the net, but it may have been the difference between winning and losing for the Hurricanes girls soccer team last week when they defeated the Freedom Patriots, 2-1, in overtime.

"I just saw [the goalkeeper] coming out, and I saw another girl running for it. I tried to throw my body in front and knocked the ball with my knee," Mello said.

The save came with 1:22 left in regulation, and at that point, overtime seemed inevitable.

Liberty mid, Erika Peters, said, "They controlled the ball in the second half. They wanted it more. We knew we needed to score in the first ten minutes. I knew I had to get it to Cailey [Sanchez on the corner kick]."

Sanchez planned on heading the ball, but hit it off her chest instead, scoring the winning goal.

"It all happened really fast. I don't remember it going into the net. I didn't comprehend it. Then, they all came running out. To beat Freedom twice was such a good feeling," Sanchez said.

Liberty's first goal came in the first half when Olivia Askernese scored on an assist by Peters.

"We went out with a whole bunch of confidence. We were determined to win. It's been eight years since we made it to districts. We're all proud of each other," said Askernese.

In the second half, Freedom right mid, Kerry Callaghan, scored a goal for the Patriots after the ball was deflected off a defender.

"I just knew to kick it in. I didn't know it was real. It was an awesome feeling," Callaghan said.

At the end of regulation, the Patriots talked about how they deserved to win the game, and that teammate, Kiera Pheiffer, was fighting, so they would have to fight too.

Pheiffer had been in a serious car accident on Oct. 4. Both the Freedom and Liberty players, managers, and staff wore green headbands or bracelets in support of Pheiffer, green being Pheiffer's favorite color. Girls' soccer teams from Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, Whitehall, Parkland, and Nazareth also joined in on the support during their games.

Callaghan said, "The game was bittersweet because we know we played so good. This one, we played better than the first."

The Patriots will also compete in the District XI Girls Soccer Tournament.