DRYDEN — For more than 77 minutes, Chazy and Northville played to a hard-fought, scoreless standstill.

Then, during a scramble in front of the net, a Northville player was called for a handball, setting up a penalty kick for the Eagles.

Kirsten Doran connected and that was all Chazy needed to edge Northville, 1-0, to win its second straight NYSPHSAA Class D girls' soccer championship Sunday at Tompkins-Cortland Community College.

It was another dramatic finish for Chazy (20-1-1), which rallied from a two-goal second-half deficit in the final 11 minutes of regulation against Remsen in Saturday's semifinals before advancing in a shootout.

The Eagles achieved the goal they had set from the beginning of the season — back-to-back state titles. The Chazy girls' soccer team now has three counting 2007 when the team was a co-champion.

"Unbelievable," said coach Karin Sherman-Trombley, who has guided the Eagles to at least the Final Four every season since taking over in 2008. "It was a dream for us and a goal. We focused since Day 1 that we wanted to come back, so it's still an amazing feeling for us."

Caitlyn LaPier, a senior co-captain and fifth-year player, said the weekend "couldn't be any better."

"I won last year, but the game (Saturday) was so amazing to win, and then this game just tops it off," said LaPier, who was named Outstanding Player. "It's my senior year and I'm so happy."

Despite Chazy having several quality looks at goal, it looked like the game was headed for overtime, not something the Eagles were eager to have happen after playing 110 minutes plus a shootout Saturday.

But during a moment of chaos in front of Northville's net, the ball took a bounce and hit off a Falcon player's hand in the box. After a moment of discussion, the referees called a handball, setting Chazy up for a penalty kick with 2:17 remaining.

Sherman-Trombley said junior Megan Reynolds was originally going to take the shot. But Reynolds and LaPier conferred on the field and decided Doran would be the shooter.

"I thought Kirsten," Reynolds said. "We practice PKs and Kirsten has not ever missed one of her PKs; every practice she makes them. So we're like, 'Kirsten.'"

Doran admitted to being nervous — "definitely the most nervous I've ever been," she said.

She took several deep breaths, and after the ref blew the whistle to shoot she sent the ball low, to the right and into the back of the net. The team erupted into celebration.

Doran said she knew exactly where she was sending her shot.

"Every day in practice we do PKs and that's my corner, every time," the senior said.

Sherman-Trombley said it either would have been Doran, LaPier or Reynolds taking the shot.

"They know the feeling out there, they know they can make that decision and they made the right choice and Kirsten finished and did an awesome job for us," Sherman-Trombley said.

The Eagles didn't just defend well for the remainder of the game — they even had another quality shot on goal in the closing seconds.

Chazy dominated the first half, outshooting Northville, the Section II champion four years running, 8-1. The Eagles attempted seven corner kicks in the first 20 minutes.

The second half was more even, but the Eagles kept missing opportunities. Twice LaPier bounced shots off the crossbar. She had a breakaway one-on-one opportunity with 4:29 left, but Northville goalkeeper Kristi Bills made a superb sliding save.

Bills finished with five saves and was named Outstanding Goalie.

"It seems so close on the sideline as a coach, but the girls worked hard, they played with their hearts," Sherman-Trombley said. "We were beat up and banged up and extremely sore; some of them are going to be walking very sorely tonight. But we just kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Our goal was to put the ball in and not go into overtime again."

Senior Katharine Tooke made three saves for the Eagles to preserve the shutout.

Amanda Kempainen, a senior Chazy midfielder, was forced to watch the two weekend games from the sideline after injuring her knee in the team's 2-1 regional final victory over Chateaugay.

Though she said it was a different experience watching from the bench, winning a state title made up for the disappointment.

"I've definitely cried a couple of times not being able to play, and it's my senior year so that adds to it. At least we won," Kempainen said. "I'd take that any day."

The Eagles will lose nine seniors that helped the Eagles go 40-1-1 the last two years with two state titles.

"It's unbelievable for them to come back and them to end the season with another championship," Sherman-Trombley said. "I'm going to miss them tremendously; they're a great bunch of girls.

"To end on a note of a championship is awesome for them."

—

Chazy 1, Northville 0

Northville          0 0 — 0

Chazy          0 1 — 1

Second half- 1, C, Doran, pk, 37:43.

Shots: Chazy 12, Northville 4.

Saves: Tooke, C, 3. Bills, N, 5.