The Rice girls’ soccer team approached their game against Milton last Tuesday with the same mindset as they always do: get locked in. But something was different.

One year ago, the girls’ team faced Milton in the Division II State Championship for soccer. Rice won that game, 2-0. And from it, a rivalry was born. On Tuesday night, this rivalry was rekindled as the game turned into a must-win for Rice.

The Milton Yellow Jackets went into the game riding a seven-game winning streak, in second place in the Vermont Division II standings, and looking to get revenge for their championship loss the previous year.

“It was definitely a must-win, especially after the championship last year,” said freshman Megan Marroquin. “We knew it would be a tough game.”

The first half was off to a rough start, as within the first twenty minutes the Yellow Jackets netted two goals to get out to a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, the tough start would continue, and by the end of the first half, Milton would possess a 4-1 lead.

“It was incredibly stressful,” Marroquin said. During halftime, however, the team wouldn’t let up. “At halftime, we kept each other’s hopes high and didn’t let our heads get down. By the time the second half came, we were ready to come right back.”

That they certainly did, scoring an early goal to narrow the lead to two. About 10 minutes later, Marroquin sank another, and just after that, she struck again, knotting the game up at four.

“It definitely changed the whole team’s mindset and then we saw in front of us that we could win this game. It was partly shocking but also needed because we were uncertain of what would happen if we had to wait to come back.”

Another spectator, freshman Tiegan Lambert said, “I was really excited when they went on the run because otherwise it would have been a waste of a big game.”

Just as the Knights felt like they were right in it, Milton pressed the net and regained the lead. The score: 5-4. The girls, however, were not deterred.

“We never hesitated. We kept our heads high and we knew that we could equalize it.” Marroquin said.

“I was kinda worried that they would lose, initially, I thought oh no, but as they went on, I felt like they were still in the game,” Lambert remarked.

With spirits high, Rice kept fighting. Soon enough, there were fewer than five minutes left, and Rice’s chances kept on getting slimmer. Rice wasn’t mustering anything up, until the four-minute mark. With possession, Rice was pressing the goal and all of a sudden, there was a chance. After a shot on net, sophomore Reese Billings caught the rebound, and somehow, somehow, tied the game up at 5-5, sending Rice fans into a frenzy.

“Headed into OT we were super hyped up,” Marroquin said.

“I actually didn’t see it, but when I saw my friends go crazy, I was really excited,” Lambert said. “Overtime couldn’t come soon enough because they are a fun team to watch.”

The team came out into overtime looking like a team on a mission. They were, again pressing the net, and passed it out to Megan Marroquin about 40 feet from the goal. She wound up and unleashed a shot that cleared the Milton goalkeeper which won the game for the Green Knights and gave Marroquin a hat trick.

“It was a really good shot and all of the Rice fans went crazy,” Lambert remarked.