On top of being a four-year varsity soccer player, Homewood-Flossmoor’s Ava Loudon was also a state qualifier in tennis. She has grown accustomed to competing in pressure situations.
Still, the senior defender had experienced nothing quite like the moment Friday night when she stepped up to attempt the penalty kick that could win the Vikings’ first regional title in 12 years.
“Oh my God, I was very nervous,” Loudon said. “It’s hard being the last one. I had to keep my composure. I knew what to do. I’ve practiced it. I just had to do what I knew.
“The pressure, when it comes down to it, it really helps that I’ve been in these situations before in two sports.”
Loudon calmly converted the decisive kick as the host Vikings took the shootout 4-3 for a 2-1 win over Lincoln-Way West in the Class 3A Homewood-Flossmoor Regional championship game.
Noelle Dolan scored in regulation for H-F (18-5-1), while Cristina Ramirez made two big saves in the shootout.
The fourth-seeded Vikings will take on top-seeded Andrew (16-5-2) — a 7-0 winner over Joliet West — at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in a Joliet Central Sectional semifinal.
Fifth-seeded Lincoln-Way West (10-11) got its score on an H-F own goal that was created by a dangerous free kick from Ava Peterson. Cora Franczyk made two saves in regulation.
The shootout was tied 3-3 heading into the final round before Ramirez came up with a huge stop. It set the stage for Loudon, who slipped a rolling shot into the left side of the net to ignite a raucous celebration.
“I’m ecstatic,” Loudon said. “There’s nothing like it. This is our first regional championship since 2012. I’ve been on this team for four years with the same girls, and it’s just a full-circle moment to have this win with these girls.”
H-F coach Ali Farkos, who was a senior star on the last Vikings’ team to win a regional, was confident Loudon would come through in the clutch.
“All of our shooters except one were seniors,” Farkos said. “We put it on them because this is their team, their season.
“Ava stepped up to the plate and we knew she was going to do it. She was mentally ready, physically ready. She’s been so consistent for us all season.”
Dolan, Dakota Dixon and Ariel Rose also scored in the shootout for the Vikings.
Ramirez, meanwhile, was able to get herself in the right frame of mind to come through with the key saves.
“I usually go in really nervous but then I just have to get into the zone,” Ramirez said. “It’s like, ‘This is it. Now or nothing.’ I just pick a side and go for it.”
In addition to her shootout heroics, Loudon has continued to provide a strong presence in front of Ramirez on the back line.
“Ava’s progressed so much this year with her touch and everything,” Ramirez said. “She really kept us in the game.”
Loudon has played soccer since she was 5 years old but did not start tennis until she got to high school. Now, the two sports have given her unforgettable moments over the last nine months.
“It’s been a good year,” she said. “It’s been a blast. Both teams have some of my best friends on them so I can just enjoy both sports and have the best senior year possible.”
Loudon believes tennis has made her a better soccer player.
“I’d say it really helps with my footwork and just getting to the ball and my touch, for sure,” she said.
Loudon plans to give up competitive sports and major in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois.
That makes victories like Friday’s extra special.
“I just shed a few tears back there because this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Loudon said. “Especially with this team. It’s beyond great.”
