For 100 minutes, Fremont and Traverse City St. Francis traded chances, answered challenges, and refused to give an inch in a Division 3 Regional Championship battle that neither team deserved to lose.
But when regulation and two overtime periods still couldn’t separate them, the season came down to a penalty kick shootout.
With a trip to the state semifinals hanging in the balance, the Packers and Gladiators stood deadlocked at 1-1 after regulation and two overtime periods Thursday night. In the shootout, St. Francis goalkeeper Pasleigh Upshaw made two critical saves before freshman Kealey Standfest buried the deciding penalty kick, lifting the Gladiators to a 4-3 shootout victory and ending Fremont’s memorable postseason run.
The result was heartbreaking for a Fremont team that battled back from an early deficit and matched the eventual regional champions step for step throughout the evening. Yet the Packers’ performance served as a reflection of just how far the program had come over the course of the season.
Just seven weeks earlier, Fremont suffered a 7-1 loss to Traverse City St. Francis. On Thursday, the Packers pushed the Gladiators to the brink, turning what had once been a six-goal gap into a deadlocked regional final decided only by penalty kicks.
Fremont faced adversity almost immediately when a defensive miscue resulted in an own goal that gave St. Francis a 1-0 lead. The Packers entered halftime trailing 1-0, but they never allowed the early setback to define the match.
The breakthrough came 17 minutes into the second half when senior Maddie Mater delivered a perfectly timed pass to sophomore Esther Vissia, who found the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.
The assist was Mater’s 22nd of the season, extending her school record, while the goal was Vissia’s 42nd, adding to the school-record mark she established earlier in the tournament. The duo consistently created scoring opportunities throughout the evening and remained a constant threat against the Gladiator defense.
Fremont generated several dangerous chances as Mater and Vissia combined on multiple attacks, including a pair of breakaways. The Packers finished with nine shots on goal, matching St. Francis in a contest that was remarkably even from start to finish.
The defensive unit continued the form that carried Fremont through a district championship and into the regional final. Grace Evans, Breven Powell, Tori Ward, Delaney Petrowski and Tylor Johnson anchored a back line that had posted shutouts in all three district tournament games and the regional semifinal victory over Freeland.
Behind them, goalkeeper Haille Snyder once again came through with key stops while concluding her season with a school-record 13 shutouts.
Neither team could find a winner through the two overtime periods, setting the stage for the penalty kick shootout.
After a hard-fought 100 minutes, the regional championship was reduced to a series of shots from 12 yards away. St. Francis converted enough opportunities to secure the victory and claim the first regional championship in program history.
The Gladiators improved to 16-4-2 and advanced to the Division 3 state semifinals, where they will face Grand Rapids West Catholic.
For Fremont, the final result does little to diminish one of the most successful seasons in program history.
The Packers finished 14-8-2, captured a district championship, advanced to the regional final, and established multiple school records along the way. More importantly, they demonstrated the growth, resilience and determination that transformed a team that lost by six goals in April into one that was one penalty kick away from a trip to the state semifinals.
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