The tears in Asia Ungard's eyes displayed perfectly how important of a moment it was for her and her teammates.
And through those tears, Ungard described how her corner in the final two minutes of the second overtime ended up being the decisive moment of the game.
It was a shocking scene for both sides as Ungard lined up for the Lancers' fifth corner on the night and sent a perfect ball to the near post of the goal. A swarm of players from both sides crashed the goal and it was Loyalsock's group that ran out victorious as the ball snuck in for a 1-0 Loyalsock win over Warrior Run.
"We worked the entire 80 minutes and we deserved to win," Ungard said. "We put it to them and deserved the win and that's why we got it tonight."
It might never be known which Loyalsock player stepped in front of Ungard's corner, or if the corner was just destined for the back of the net. But whichever way the ball crossed the line, it was the perfect metaphor for a complete-team-effort win.
The Lancers received key blocks by the defense when Amanda Daneker, who stopped three shots on goal, was off her line. They got hustle plays at midfield by Morgan Chambers and Alonna Soars, as well as a few quality attempts from Allie Pagana.
"Our team did amazing today," Ungard said. "Our team did everything it needed to do to win this game. That goal was the entire team. It wasn't just me. It was the entire team and that's all that matters."
After the first game against Warrior Run, which resulted in a 2-0 win for the Defenders, Loyalsock dropped another game against Midd-West. The sudden string of losses left people wondering if the Lancers might have lost a step, but it only seemed to act as motivation for the team.
"Our team has been underestimated this year," Ungard said. "The newspapers and everybody seemed to be against us and this win proved to them that we can do this. We can go to states and win. Our goal all year has been to beat Warrior Run and we just accomplished that today."
The loss, Warrior Run's first of the season, will be difficult for the Defenders to stomach, especially knowing they aren't going to be seeing Loyalsock in the postseason.
"If there is a time to lose it's now," Warrior Run coach Jen Allen said. "A wise person once said, 'You learn more from your losses'. We're going to come to practice tomorrow and learn. That's kind of what it is. It's hard to go undefeated and it's hard to carry that through the playoffs. We can't lose from here on out and we don't plan on it."
Loyalsock 1, Warrior Run 0 overtime
L - Asia Ungard (unassisted) 92:32.
Shots: WR 14 L 4. Shots on goal: WR 3 L 4. Corners: WR 7 L 5. Saves: WR (Olivia George, Mackenzie Hays) 3, L (Amanda Daneker) 3. Fouls: WR 15 L 19. Cards: WR none. L: Alonna Soars (yellow) 4:10; Allie Pagana (yellow) :11; Ben Comfort (red) 31:57.
Records: Warrior Run 17-1. Loyalsock 15-2. Next: Southern Columbia at Loyalsock, today, 7 p.m
