MOSES LAKE – On Tuesday, the Moses Lake Mavericks (4-1) lost a heartbreaker to the Wenatchee Panthers in a 7-6 shootout. The Mavs came out strong but struggled to put Wenatchee away. Head coach Alysha Overland said they beat themselves.   

“We came out super strong. Our warmup was good, and the locker room energy was good. We definitely came out ready to play, ready to fight for it, and then something unfortunately switched, and we kind of beat ourselves out there,” she said.   

In the first half, the Mavs controlled the ball and earned their first score of the day quickly. Kamery Char found her way to the net after the Mavs' passing created an opening for her to take a short-distance shot. From there, the Mavs continued to control the ball and prevent Wenatchee from finding any scoring opportunities. Heading into halftime, they led 1-0.  

In the second half, both teams struggled to find scoring opportunities. Around the 20th minute, the Mavs’ Reese Prescott got control of the ball and took off for the opposing goal.  With the Panthers on her heels, she took her shot that was initially blocked, but with a lucky bounce, it rolled into the net, and the Mavs increased their lead to 2-0.   

However, Wenatchee responded minutes later with a successful shot from the left side of the field. In the blink of an eye, the Panthers were right back in the game. The two teams would continue to go back and forth, but the Panthers once again found an opening after the Mavs' goalie missed a block, and the game was tied 2-2 with over 11 minutes to go.  

“We just had an energy shift when they got their goal, and (that’s) something that we need to work on overcoming, and I think that we can. I know that we're capable of it,” Overland said.  

For the remainder of the half, neither team would be able to take the lead, and the back-and-forth competition spilled into overtime.   

“A game is 80 minutes, and we got to play the full 80. We have to win both halves. Every ball counts, every moment counts. That's something we're going to talk to the girls about and just remind them that we can't get comfortable. Can never get comfortable,” Overland said.  

In two five-minute halves, both teams continued to impose strong defensive strategies. In the midst of competition, Prescott tweaked her right knee while trying to take control of the ball. Overland called Prescott the player of the game Tuesday.   

“She's a powerhouse for us,” Overland said. “She's coming off an injury from last season, and I really saw the fire back in her today. She's always strong for us on the outside. Unfortunately, she got a little tweak at the end there, but ultimately, she came out fighting.”  

Once the second half of overtime concluded, the score remained 2-2. Both teams headed into penalty kicks for a shootout to determine a winner.   

“We practice it pretty often. We talked to the girls right before we went out there and said, ‘Who's got it today? Who's got the confidence?’ Because at the end of the day, those are a big confidence thing. When you go out there, it's tough, it's a lot of pressure,” Overland said.  

The Mavs started first and were successful, taking a 3-2 lead. Both teams traded successful kicks, the Mavs taking the lead and the Panthers tying it.   

With the game tied at six, the Mavs missed the kick, leaving the Panthers with an opportunity to win the game. They capitalized on their opportunity and sank a game-winning shot to win 7-6 and hand the Mavs their first loss of the season.   

Despite the loss, Overland said she still believes in what her team is capable of.   

“I know the team that we have. I know they believe in themselves and if anything, they're just going to take this to fuel themselves going into the future,” she said.   

The Mavericks return to Lions Field on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. to play the Ephrata Tigers.   

BOX SCORE:  

MLHS: 1-1-0-4: 6
WNTC: 0-2-0-5: 7   

    Kamery Char (16) celebrates with her teammates after scoring the first goal of the game against Wenatchee. Head Coach Alysha Overland said her team came out strong on Tuesday.
  

    Lindsey Davis (10) looks for a pass opening against Wenatchee. Both teams went back and forth in a defensive-heavy second half.
  

    The Mavs’ Kamery Char (16) kicks the ball back into play. Head Coach Alysha Overland said she believes her team will bounce back from its loss to Wenatchee.
  

    Reese Prescott (2) is greeted by two teammates after scoring the Mavs second goal of the game. Head Coach Alysha Overland called Prescott their player of the game against Wenatchee.
  

    In overtime, the Mavs’ Erin Ribellia (5) takes a penalty kick. The Mavs scored four goals in the shootout before falling short 7-6 to Wenatchee.