When Gerstell and Liberty meet on the soccer field, the matchup rarely disappoints. Weeks after the boys played to a scoreless draw on Sept. 11, the girls followed suit Monday night, battling to a hard-fought 1–1 tie.
Liberty struck first, but Gerstell responded with an equalizer in the final minutes.
“The team that we played in Liberty was a fantastic team. They have so many wonderful players on a very skilled team,” Gerstell coach Josh Devers said. “It’s hard to beat a team like that. So, I’m happy to come away with a draw.”
The Lions opened the scoring when Melina Peacock cleaned up a rebound in the first half and launched the ball into the back of the net.
“Lina is a player we could put wherever we need her,” Liberty coach Danielle Prietz said. “She’s feisty, she’s aggressive, she’s fast and she will plow you down. We just tell her to go in and play like Lina knows how to play.”
After a long scoreless stretch, Gerstell tied the game with just four minutes left. Cadence Poklemba fired a shot from the corner — one she didn’t initially like — but the ball found Madison Scheider, who scored the equalizer.
Devers credited his team’s resilience.
“Never give up, it’s part of our motto,” he said. “It’s part of the fabric of our team.”
While neither team walked away with a win, both found value in the performance as they continue seasons that began with high expectations.
Gerstell, aiming to rebound from a difficult year, returns several key starters and brings in young talent under first-year coach Devers. One of those veterans, goalkeeper Cambrie Franks, made 10 saves and helped hold the Lions’ attack in check.
“Something my coach always says to me is to have the memory of a goldfish,” Franks said. “I know I need to be in the right mindset, because a mistake for me can affect the whole team, and I just need to be giving my all at all times.”
With Franks anchoring a young roster, Devers appreciates what competing with a team like Liberty shows his squad.
“It shows our girls the type of team that we can be when we play with the passion that we can play with,” he said. “We don’t have to be the best or most skilled team, but when we come with heart, with physicality and desire, we can definitely surprise some people coming up here.”
Liberty, the defending Class 1A state champion, also found lessons in Monday’s draw. Prietz left the field frustrated by missed opportunities, but was eager to see her team learn from the good that they did do on the field.
“I think we just have to be more creative,” she said. “I think we have to learn to capitalize on our creativeness when we’re moving forward with our shots. And we just got to shoot more. Moving forward, we know what we can do and what we’re capable of. We just got to take advantage of it. The goals will come.”
Peacock echoed her coach’s thoughts. The Lions created chances and moved the ball well, with her goal serving as the payoff.
“We’ve been struggling with passing the ball, but I feel like we really brought it together and composed ourselves with my goal,” Peacock said. “We just need to work on finishing and figuring where to place the ball and being where we need to be.”
Both teams return to conference and county play this week. Gerstell hosts Catholic High on Friday, the first of three home IAAM games for the Falcons. Liberty plays its second Carroll County matchup Tuesday against Manchester Valley.
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