Hinnefeld’s 13th save lifts Shawano to sectional

After making a game-saving diving save to her left with just five minutes remaining in extra time Monday, Shawano goalkeeper Carlie Hinnefeld knew the pressure was on her to make saves in the shootout.

She got the biggest save of the game to end the contest, as the Hawks won the penalty shootout, 3-2, after the WIAA Division 3 regional championship match with Mosinee went into overtime at 3-3.

Hinnefeld, who recorded 13 saves, wasn’t going to let the penalty kicks get into her head.

“I knew that when I got to the bench, everybody was going to be like, ‘Carlie, you’ve got this.’ And I didn’t want that,” Hinnefeld said. “I just wanted them to leave me alone so I could focus. So, I was like, nobody talk to me. I’m just going to try to stay in the zone here.”

Mosinee started the shootout with a miss over the crossbar, but goalkeeper Claire Nievinski kept Mosinee in the match with a save against Morgan Klitzk.

Devon Youles got Mosinee’s first penalty scorewith a shot to the right, but Colleen McFarlane answered for the Hawks.

The Indians’ next shot sailed wide, and Megan Klitzke sunk hers to give the Hawks the 2-1 advantage.

Mosinee’s Kate Gulan tied the match again, but senior Sarah Dickmann put Shawano ahead, 3-2.

Hinnefeld dove to her left to save Mosinee’s final attempt, by Michelle Weinberg, to give Shawano to its first regional title in the history of the program.

Weinberg almost tricked Hinnefeld into diving to the wrong side.

“She looked at the right post, so I was like, ‘She’s probably going to the right, so I took a little step over.’ And I was like, ‘Crap, so I just like fell, and I got it,’” Hinnefeld said.

Hinnefeld didn’t realize she had won the game until the team rushed toward her as she stood in the box.

“I wasn’t keeping track of the PKs in my head,” Hinnefeld said. “Everyone’s cheering, and everyone ran at me, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, we won.’

For the second consecutive game in the tourney, Shawano got on the board first. On a Dickmann corner kick, the ball bounced through the Mosinee defense to senior Teagan Monfils, who possessed the ball and calmly put it past Nievinski in the 16th minute.

The Indians (16-3-3, 9-2-1 Great Northern Conference) countered just three minutes later when a Shawano clearance went off a Mosinee player for a breakaway. Mosinee scored again in the 21st minute to take its first lead of the game, 2-1.

But Megan Klitzke equalized the game in the 22nd minute, scoring on a pass from Dickmann.

In the 35th minute, Dickmann took a deep shot, from about 25 yards out, that floated over the outstretched arms of Nievinski for the 3-2 lead.

Mosinee tried to make an defensive adjustment on Dickmann after her role in the first three goals.

“We felt (Dickmann) was going to be damaging us,” Mosinee head coach Pat Youles said. “We played a little closer to that.”

The final goal of regular time came in the 43rd minute, when Mosinee junior Madison Hromek put a rebound into the back of the net after Weinberg’s shot was saved by Hinnefeld.

The second half included many chances for both sides, but neither team was able to score.

“We played our game all day,” Shawano head coach Bob Croschere said.

Shawano had six shots directly at Nievinski in the second half and extra time.

Hinnefeld ran out to make a sliding save late in the second half and did the same in the 105th minute to keep the game tied.

Shawano (8-9-2, 4-5-2 Bay Conference) will head to Seymour (10-3-6, 5-3-1 Bay) for the sectional semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. In their regular season matches, the Hawks drew with the Thunder 2-2 in the first meeting on April 26 and fell 5-0 on May 19.

With four consecutive wins under their belt, the Hawks know what they need to do.

“Got another game to win, I guess,” Hinnefeld said.