GROTON – Groton saved its best for last on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers scored two goals in the final 17 minutes to capture a 2-1 victory over Dakota Valley during the semifinals of the Class A girls’ soccer playoffs.

“Senior season, none of us want it to be done,” said Groton senior Laila Roberts, “so we just try to hold ourselves accountable and be together, and just play the best we can together.”

Roberts provided the game-winning goal with 12:42 remaining when she took a feed from Sydney Locke and planted the ball in the left corner of the back of the net.

“I saw the middle wide open. I knew I just had to call for the ball and Syndey would get me it,” Roberts said. “I just got it and didn’t look at the goalie, so I didn’t shoot it at her. I shot it right at the corner and it just went in.”

Just four minutes earlier, the Tigers finally broke through and tied the contest on a penalty kick by Brooklyn Hansen after Dakota Valley was whistled for a hand ball violation.

While Hansen was feeling the pressure, the senior calmly placed the ball in the far right corner of the goal away from the Dakota Valley goalie.

“Oh, I was so nervous,” Hansen said. “I was just scared that I was going to kick it right at her, but I was just aiming for the corner.”

Hansen performed her version of a no-look pass, looking one way and kicking the ball the other direction.

“I always look at the top corner and go the other way,” she said, “look at the opposite corner.”

Groton coach Matt Baumgartner said he would let Brooklyn and her twin sister Kennedy decide who would get to take the penalty.

“I said to Kennedy either you or your sister, go ahead and take it, because that sister telepathy … if one of you score both of you kind of score,” Baumgartner said, “so it’s kind of like a 2-for-1 special.”

Brooklyn took the kick and provided the game equalizer.

“She nailed it,” Baumgartner said. “Great penalty. It was spot on.”

The two goals in less than four minutes changed the entire atmosphere in front of a large and loud crowd.

Baumgartner told his girls at halftime that they needed to calm down and play their game.

“Once we get the first one, you guys will calm down, you guys will find the urge, you guys will be happy,” Baumgartner said, “because there was a bit of sad faces come halftime. We kind of had to calm our mind down, continue to do our rhythm, continue to find our spaces, work our triangles, and we just happened to find it once again.”

The players never gave up hope and kept attacking for the entire final 40 minutes.

“During halftime, we just told each other that we needed to go,” Brooklyn Hansen said, “and that we needed to start connecting, playing to feet, and it worked.”

The Tigers nearly tied the score in the opening half, but the Dakota Valley goalie stopped a penalty kick and then regrouped to stop a rebound attempt just seconds later.

Between Roberts and Jerica Locke, Groton kept the pressure on in the second half, consistently beating the Panthers to the ball to provide more chances.

“They roam this whole field,” Baumgartner said of the duo, “every inch of this field.”

Eventually the Tigers broke through and now find themselves back in the Class A state championship game. Groton lost to Tea Area in last year’s title contest and the squad is motivated heading into this year’s game.

“I feel like this year we definitely can see ourselves winning it,” Roberts said, “and we definitely have the mentality coming in that we’re going to win, so I think it will be good.”

Baumgartner, in his first year as Groton head coach, knows that the players came tantalizingly close a year ago.

“These seven seniors were one half away last year from lifting the right trophy,” he said, “that’s been the motivation.”