Brendza nets two overtime goals for Chesterton girls soccer team

CHESTERTON | Scoring two overtime goals against Lake Central on Tuesday night was hardly the most exciting moment for Chesterton sophomore Bridget Brendza.

When word reached the field that Valparaiso knocked off Times No. 1 Crown Point, Brendza and her teammates erupted into a joyous celebration after the No. 2 Trojans knocked off the No. 3 Indians 3-1 in overtime.

Chesterton's victory against over Lake Central, coupled with Crown Point's loss, creates a three-way tie atop the Duneland Athletic Conference.

"I told the girls tonight that we needed to keep ourselves in the mix for a championship," Chesterton coach David Galloway said. "The Duneland is very tight right now. This has been a fun year. We all compete against each other and then shake hands afterwards."

Before the impromptu celebration, the night belonged to Brendza. The sophomore assisted on a goal from junior Nicki Kollar in the 53rd minute which tied the match at 1-1 after Lake Central senior Hillary Campbell found the back of the net in the 49th minute of play.

Both teams had multiple looks at potential game-winning goals in the final three minutes of regulation, but post deflections and a near-miss off a field goal post kept the match knotted at one goal apiece.

Brendza delivered her first overtime goal with 3.2 seconds left in the first overtime as the forward took a feed from fellow sophomore Kristin Mabry and drilled the ball past Lake Central keeper Megan Bereda.

"I knew how much time was left and I knew what I had to do," Brendza said. "It was a great ball from Kristin. I saw the ball and made the shot."

Brendza added an insurance goal with less than four minutes left in the second overtime when she headed in a free kick from junior captain Rosie Biehl. The ball gently fell of Brendza's head and floated into the goal before anyone on the field could react.

"Coach is always telling us to use your head more," Brendza said. "I'm not going to take all the credit. We had good defense, good play in the mid. We play to win and we play to finish."

Brendza also plays injured as the sophomore suffered a knee injury against Valparaiso earlier this season and then injured her shoulder against Crown Point last week.

"It's just been injury after injury this season," Brendza said. "It's something that you just have to play through."