There was high drama Friday afternoon at Sacred Heart Greenwich, the scene of the FAA Soccer Tournament final between top-seeded Sacred Heart and second-seeded Greens Farms Academy.

After playing to a standstill for two halves, the championship game went into overtime, yet after 20 more minutes of play, the score still remained tied.

So, penalty kicks were needed to determine the victor and the 2023 FAA champion. And when Sacred Heart goalie Victoria Hart made her fifth and final save of the penalty kicks shootout, it was celebration time for the Tigers.

Sacred Heart won the FAA Tournament title, edging visiting Greens Farms Academy, 2-1, in a thriller, before an enthusiastic, large gathering.

The Tigers remained perfect in FAA play, ending their season with a 13-0 league record, while capturing their first league tournament championship since the 2014 season. Greens Farms Academy finished with a 9-3-2 mark in the FAA.

“It’s so surreal, I can’t stop smiling, everything we’ve worked for this entire season – this is what all the blood sweat and tears goes in for,” said Sacred Heart senior captain/defender Olivia Leahy, who paced the Tigers’ defensive effort, along with senior Maggie Bacigalupo, senior captain Ashley O’Meara, senior Giada Coviello and senior Lila O’Brien. “I’m just so proud of everyone and so excited. I had never gone through that in a soccer game. We stayed calm, composed and confident as a team. With Victoria’s key saves, that just led us to victory.”

Indeed, Sacred Heart’s goalies stood tall in the face of pressure. Sophomore Olivia Figueiredo started in goal for the Tigers, making 12 saves during regulation and the two, 10-minute overtime periods. In the penalty kick shootout, Victoria Hart, a senior took over in goal and made five saves. During the penalty kicks situation, Sacred Heart scored three times, with sophomore Arianna Chin, Bacigalupo, Coviello and junior Anna Fullerton each converting their kicks.

Greens Farms Academy made three of its penalty kicks, while Victoria Hart stopped five shots. The Dragons goalie made four saves during the penalty kick shootout.

“My coach told me about 10 minutes into the overtime and he said if you feel up to it,” Victoria Hart said about going into the game during penalty kicks. “My best part about being a goalie is PKs and knowing where the person shooting is going. A lot of the girls like to look where they’re going and I look at their eyes first and that’s how I think I see most of them. My athleticism definitely helped.”

“She saved five in the end and had incredible reflex saves,” Sacred Heart Greenwich coach Stuart Smith said of Hart. “She is athletic and has good reflexes and good hand-eye coordination.”

The Tigers had stellar possessions during the opening half and entered halftime with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Eva Wilkerson. A junior forward, Wilkerson scored off a corner kick to give SHG a one-goal lead. She helped spark the Tigers’ attacking style of play throughout.

“All the hard work that we put in and it’s finally paying off,” Wilkerson said. “The first game of the season right after our game, coach Stuart made us do runs and we dreaded those runs at first, but now they’ve paid off. All the running that we did paid off.”

Capitalizing on a set piece, the Dragons tallied off a corner kick in the second half, tying the score at 1-1.

Both squads had chances to score in the second half and tested each other’s goalie.

“We didn’t get many chances in the second half,” Smith noted. “This team has done this all season, they find a way to overcome every hurdle that’s put in front of them. We finish games strong, we did a lot of fitness work at the beginning of the year and we’re used to playing on this big field.”

The home team gained more momentum once the intense matchup headed into overtime.

“I think we finished really strong,” Smith said. “We found it hard in the game to be ourselves and play the way that we usually play. GFA played a great game and made it difficult for us. Going into overtime, we said win or lose this let’s play the style of soccer we’ve been playing all season.”

“We went back to connecting our passes together, working hard off the ball and pressing them and I think that gave us a big momentum shift going into overtime,” Smith continued. “I thought we controlled the game in those last two 10-minute periods.”

Indeed, going to penalty kicks was unfamiliar territory for most players involved in Friday’s championship game.

“I thought it was an emotional game,” Tigers senior forward/captain Madison Hart said. “I think we really rallied together and everyone was so supportive through all the mistakes. During the PKs when someone missed, it was all supportive.”

“When the game went to penalty kicks, I was super nervous, there were a lot of emotions going on and I was stressed,” Madison Hart added. “But Victoria came up with huge saves and that was really important.”

“It’s crazy going 1-up in a game, then getting tied and having to go into overtime,” O’Meara said. “Then at the end of that, penalties, it’s tough on your emotions. But we were really composed and that really helped us, especially during the PKs. Our team camaraderie and having home field advantage, along with having amazing supporters helps out.”

Overall, Sacred Heart has won seven straight games and has a record of 17-2-1. The Tigers are 17-1 since starting the season at 0-1-1.

“Our bond on and off the field, everyone is really good friends,” O’Meara said, while referencing the squad’s success. “We’re close on and off the field, so that helps.”

SHG knew they were going to be tough duel against GFA, which they defeated during the regular season, 2-0.

“They had really strong forwards,” Leahy said. “We did a good job of matching their speed and tracking their runners overall. We kept them to one goal and we worked together as a unit back there, as we have all season and it worked well.”

For the Tigers’ seniors, the win capped a season to remember.

“What a way to end your FAA season,” Bacigalupo said. “I’m so proud of all my teammates and I’m so glad of how far we’ve come.”

Once the game went into overtime, the intensity rose even higher on both sides.

“I was just trying to empower all my teammates and everyone else was inspiring me to work as hard as I could,” Bacigalupo noted. “It was unbelievable the energy we had on the sideline and from all my teammates.”

Stuart will always fondly look back on the school’s 2023 soccer squad.

“It’s going to be hard to forget this team, they have set standards that is hard to match,” he said. “13-0 in the FAA season and overall 17-2-1. The seniors that leave, leave the program in the best place it’s ever been in and we’ll be strong again next year.”