CHESTERTON | After nearly missing a go-ahead goal in overtime, Chesterton junior Lauren Seawright didn't have to wait long for a second chance Tuesday night.
Seawright's header off a corner kick just glanced off the crossbar in the initial overtime against Lake Central. Moments later, she gathered in a loose ball in front of the box and beat goalie Brooke Polus at 83:45 to give the Times No. 3 Trojans a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the No. 1 Indians in Duneland Athletic Conference play.
"It hasn't hit me yet," said Seawright, who completed a hat trick with the winning goal. "Once I meet the fans, I'll know.
"The seniors on our team had never beaten L.C., and this is a great win for us."
Lake Central took a 2-0 lead in the first half on rebound goals from Ashley Doreski at 8:23 and 31:45.
"In the first half, we were really intense," L.C. coach Lori Smith said. "I've never seen our team so pumped.
"Give Chesterton credit. Down 2-0, it's hard to get back up. They did a great job."
Lake Central (8-4-1, 3-1) was called for a hand-ball infraction inside the 18, which led to Seawright's penalty kick goal with 17:18 left in regulation.
"If I made that goal, I thought we would have a chance to come back," Seawright said.
Just more than a minute later, Seawright broke free from a defender and let loose a laser from 30 yards to knot the game.
"I just wanted to stay with the play to have a chance at a shot," Seawright said. "That was a big shock when it went in."
In extra time, Seawright wasn't upset after missing her first shot attempt.
"I kind of just blew it off, because I knew there was time left to have another scoring chance," Seawright said. "I just didn't expect to have another chance that quickly.
"The ball just came back to me."
With impending dates against No. 5 Kankakee Valley on Thursday, No. 6 Highland on Saturday and No. 9 Portage next Tuesday, this victory comes at a great time for Chesterton (5-2-1, 3-1), which is in a four-way tie for first in the DAC.
"This was a huge win," Chesterton coach Kim Poppo said. "This should really improve our confidence."
