Soccer: Weinstein, Page advance in PK thriller at Nolensville

With one more spectacular diving save, Page senior Sydney Weinstein ended another wild match between the Lady Patriots and Nolensville on the pitch Tuesday.

Weinstein, Page’s senior goal keeper, lined up with Nolensville’s first golden goal penalty kick perfectly to stop the regular season champs in the District 11-AA semifinals and lift Page to a 4-3 win in PKs.

“I feel like I kept getting ahead of myself, maybe a little too jumpy earlier,” Weinstein said. “On that last shot, I saw her lineup pretty straight on so I knew it was either going to go left or she was going to open her hips and go right.”

Weinstein said she faked a move to the right with a small jab step and as Nolensville’s Waverly Dickason approached for the shot, went left.

“I went left and she went left,” she said with a smile. “I was able to read that pretty well and make the stop.”

Page took a 2-1 lead entering the third round of PKs when Weinstein blocked Kalee Dickason’s attempt, but Nolensville keeper Ava Ciampa deflected a low shot on the next Page try and the Lady Knights pulled even on a hard shot from Kyla Downey that brushed the fingertips of Weinstein.

Maddy Brzica gave the Lady Patriots a 3-2 lead and Nolensville’s Baylee Farr followed with a shot that banged off the left post. Farr buried her face in her hands, but Ciampa stopped the next attempt to keep Nolensville in it. Kaitlyn Sneed fired in the equalizer for a 3-3 score after five rounds of PKs.

Page opened the golden goal PK round with a tally from none other than Sydney Weinstein's younger sister, Ayden, while the older Weinstein closed the door with her final save. 

“I mean, it’s been this way the last four games,” Page coach Nate Clapp said of the tight contest. “We tied last year and went to PKs in the district championship. And here we tied again this year in the regular season.

“I’m excited for my girls and proud of them. Nolensville is a great team.”

The pressure for a breakthrough continued to build all match as the two teams battled to a scoreless tie after 100 minutes, including two 10-minute overtime periods.

Some of the closest calls came late.

At the end of regulation, Trystan Wepking’s free kick was deflected by Weinstein at full extension inside the final 30 seconds. The ball brushed off the cross bar and Farr couldn’t put a good touch on it in front of the goal before Page cleared, but did so right to Wepking for one more try that was snatched up by Weinstein, again.

Wepking, a senior, was forced to exit four minutes into the first overtime after a collision left her bloodied and opened a large cut on her forehead. The match was delayed more than 10 minutes as trainers tended to Wepking, who walked off under her own power and coached from the sideline the rest of the match.

Wepking remained in good spirits after the collision, sitting up and waving to her parents as she was being looked at on the sideline by a trainer. 

"I just want to play, but they won't let me," she said aloud as she left the field with a large bandage and wrap around her head.

That first OT, blood-stained and all, ended in similar fashion to the close of regulation only with Page on the advantage. Gracelynn King shed a defender and maintained control of the ball despite a diving stab from keeper Ciampa near the top of the box. King sent a right-footed short ball that toward the right post that somehow sailed just wide on an empty net opportunity. 

In the second OT, Parker Leftwich tracked down a long ball and scooted a pass to Kalee Dickason on the right side who fired a rocket that was blocked by Weinstein on another good look. Nolensville had two corners in the final two minutes, but still couldn’t produce a score.

When asked about why the two teams have battled to such close finishes recently, Clapp said it comes down to simply having a pair of “good and skilled teams.”

“Coach (Eric) Sheldon always has his side organized and I like to think we can be organized, but obviously this is one of those Williamson County matchups, too,” he said. “You know that's always exciting.”

Weinstein, who plays club soccer with Nolensville’s Sneed and Wepking among others, said the two teams have become rivals.

“Yeah, I’d say Nolensville has become our top rival,” she said. “We’re all good friends, though. Every time we play, we try to meet up before and just talk about what we think our teams are going to do.

“We poke fun at each other a bit, but yeah, we have a little one up on them now.”

The Lady Patriots, who defeated Giles County 3-0 in the district quarterfinals, will play Thursday against Murfreesboro Central at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex for the district title and a region berth.

Nolensville, which won the regular season district crown, will look to rebound at the upcoming region tournament.

Editor's Note: This story was adjusted to reflect that the final penalty kick goal by Page was scored by Ayden Weinstein.