Freedom forward Katie Flynn knew the last thing she wanted was to bear the consequences of missing a goal in the final minute of the Patriots’ rivalry match against Liberty last Thursday at Freedom.

“It was a little stressful because I usually put it over but we always work as a team, and I was open on the left side. I was like, if I put this over I’m going to get yelled at so I better put this in,” Flynn said. “We just knew that that’s our rival. We’ve got to win.”

Flynn broke a 1-1 tie with 1:08 remaining in the game, and the Patriots did indeed win 2-1.

“I’ve played them for four years now, and they’re consistent with what they do,” said Freedom midfielder and captain Amber Buck. “They get the ball and try to find their key player and then she takes it and crosses it so I knew that I would have to lock down the middle and try to stop that from happening. We were also battling for the EPC spot so that gave us even more motivation.”

The Patriots struck first when Haley Gschrey scored with 29:31 left in the first half on an assist from Doris Muncan.

[At halftime Coach Bob Eaton] just said that since we were the first one to score they were definitely going to come in with anger and more momentum,” said Freedom defender and captain Julia Ackerman. “This would be a perfect game to just fight it out right here.”

Both teams fought so hard it took most of the second half until Kathryn Wescoe scored on an assist by Merve Okumus for the Hurricanes.

Before that, Liberty forward Madison Muller threatened to score, taking down Ackerman and herself.

“We both fell together,” Ackerman said. “They kicked the ball and sent it through our outside right and I tried to get it in the air but it went between my legs and she got it, so I was like, OK, you better put it in turbo mode.”

Just as fast as Liberty tied the game on Wescoe’s goal, Freedom won it on Flynn’s goal.

“With their quick transitions, sometimes our defense just kicked it out and then a lot of the time we would be out of position so we had to stay composed and try to find feet more, and that’s when our success came,” said Buck.