Fall 2015 season came to an exciting end on Saturday night for the High School Girls when, for the first time in memory, two BRYC squads squared off against each other for the HSGHSL championship…Coach Josh Rock’s Psyche vs. DANGER!, coached by BRYC Commissioner James Sullivan and his assistant (and wife), BRYC’s Training Director Joan Smith.

It was quite a season for both teams, with Psyche finishing the regular fall schedule with a 9-0-1 record…near perfection marred only by a tie with, you guessed it, DANGER! On the way to that record, Psyche amassed an amazing league-best 47 goals, allowing only 7 goals against. In 7 out of 10 of their games Psyche scored five or more goals. Meanwhile, their BRYC opponents finished regular season play with a record of 7-1-2, allowing only three goals all season with all seven of their wins coming by way of shutout.

After winning their Saturday semi-final matches vs. talented teams from SASA and SYC, the BRYC girls were destined to face each other for the second time this season and it promised to be an epic battle. Both sides of the field were packed with friends and family, all there to cheer their team on. The girls on both teams are school mates, friends, and some team mates from All Star teams. Although it’s been a rivalry for years, it’s friendship and respect that underlies their battles.

The scene was set…the scoring juggernaut vs. the stingiest defense in the league. It was going to be a great game…and it was! After 90 minutes of regulation play and two five-minute overtimes the score was just as it was when the game started, tied at 0-0, so by league rules it fell to penalty kicks to decide the victor. Finally, after each team converted on their first five PK shots, when the 6th player came to the line for Psyche, her foot hit the turf and the ball rolled into the goalie’s waiting hands. All that remained was for DANGER! to make their last PK… and they did.

Coach Smith observed that she originally thought that an all BRYC final was great! Following the game she noted somewhat ruefully that it’s “impossible to really enjoy the moment and the victory when you look at the faces of the girls on the other team, girls we truly care about. The juxtaposition of emotions just wreaks havoc on the heart of a coach.”

Many, if not most of the girls on both Psyche and DANGER! will be graduating in May 2016. No doubt they are both looking forward to a rematch in the spring, maybe even in the tournament championship game! But it’ll be hard to top this one for excitement.  Congratulations to all the girls and coaches of both squads.