CORTLAND — Every practice since the first day of the season, the Chazy girls' soccer team has worked on penalty kicks.

The Eagles never had to make use of them until Saturday.

Kirsten Doran, Caitlyn LaPier and Megan Reynolds all connected on penalty kicks as Chazy advanced past Remsen in a wild NYSPHSAA Class D semifinal game at Cortland High School.

Chazy (19-1-1) came back from a 3-1 second-half deficit, scoring twice in the final 11 minutes — including the game-tying goal with 50 seconds left — and will get a shot at winning back-to-back state titles in today's championship game.

Christina Emery scored twice, Hannah Laurin had a goal and LaPier assisted the final two goals of the game for the Eagles, who will take on Section II's Northville 11 a.m. today at Tompkins-Cortland Community College.

The post-game celebration had a momentary pause beforehand. With Chazy leading in penalty kicks, 3-1, Remsen's fourth shot ricocheted in between the soccer crossbar and field goal crossbar before dropping behind the net. It took a few seconds for the referees to signal the game was over.

"I think that we were kind of like, 'Oh my gosh did we really do it?' And then we looked at the ref and I think he was kind of hesitant about it," Chazy coach Karin Sherman-Trombley said. "We've been practicing PKs since the first day we walked on the field. Every day we always say we're not going to go to PKs, but we're always prepared and ready."

Erin O'Connor recorded all three goals for the Rams, the Section III champions who entered the day with an 18-0 record. Her third goal, a beauty from the left corner of the box that hooked into the top corner of the net, gave Remsen a 3-1 lead with 24:48 left in regulation.

Emery brought the Eagles within one when she lofted a pass off the outstretched arm of Remsen goalkeeper Megan Will and into the net with 10 minutes left.

With 50 seconds left, LaPier took a ball down the left corner and sent a pass on the ground to a wide-open Laurin, who blasted in the equalized before being mobbed by teammates.

"I went for the corner because we work on corner balls a lot and crosses all the time, and I figured instead of cross it, cross it, cross it, to play the ball on the ground would be a lot easier," said an exhausted and emotional LaPier. "Hannah was right open and I knew if I fed it to her it would be good.

"I beat one girl and played it right to Hannah … It was perfect."

Will had a strong game in net for the Rams (18-0-1), finishing with 17 saves.

Remsen and Chazy, which entered the day tied for the top ranking in Class D, played scoreless through two 10-minute overtime periods and two five-minute sudden-death overtime periods to set up penalty kicks.

Chazy and Remsen each made its first shots in the shootout. After LaPier sent one to the back of the net, Chazy goalkeeper Katharine Tooke saved the next. The two teams traded misses and then Reynolds made what would prove to be the difference.

Once Remsen's fourth shot went over the net, Tooke knew the game was over, even if it took a moment to make it official.

"I knew we won. It's just overwhelming, the whole experience," said Tooke, who finished with five saves.

The Eagles were playing in their seventh straight semifinal game, but the Rams, who also made it to the final four last year before losing to Smithtown Christian, struck first

O'Connor sent a shot from a step inside the box past Tooke three minutes into the game. It was just the second time Chazy trailed all season. The only time beforehand came in a 2-1 loss to Class B's Peru in the second game of the season, the lone defeat for Chazy.

"Phenomenal," LaPier said of O'Connor. "I don't want to say they are a one-man show but my God, her shot was on. They didn't have a lot of opportunities but they capitalized on them so that's something we didn't do as well."

But the Eagles knotted it up when Emery's shot from the corner deflected off a Remsen defender 13 minutes in.

"Our focus was if we get scored on and are behind we're not going to give up. It's amazing," Sherman-Trombley said. "I think about it now, it just tears me up that we have the heart to do that."

NOTES: Chazy was without midfielder Amanda Kempainen. The senior nearly broke a knee in the team's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Chateaugay last week.

—

Chazy 3, Remsen 3

(Chazy advances on PKs)

Remsen     1 2 0 0 0 0 — 3

Chazy     1 2 0 0 0 0 — 3

First period- 1, R, E O'Connor (A. O'Connor), 3:07. 2, C, Emery, 12:48.

Second period- 3, R, E. O'Connor (Marfone), 5:00. 4, R, E. O'Connor (Runninger) 14:12. 5, C, Emery (LaPier), 29:57. 6, C, Laurin (LaPier), 39:10.

Shots: Chazy 19, Remsen 15.

Saves: Will, R, 17. Tooke, C, 5.