Edmond North Drops Title Game to Norman North

OKLAHOMA CITY - After scoring late, the players grabbed the ball from the net and desperately rushed to midfield, but there simply was not enough time to finish the comeback.

The Edmond North girls’ soccer team fell 2-1 to Norman North in the state championship game Friday afternoon at Taft Stadium.

Edmond North (12-3) scored in the closing minutes and put the pressure on the Lady Timberwolves but could not get the needed second score.

Norman North (16-0) wins consecutive state championships after winning the last awarded title in 2019.

Lady Huskies coach Ike Emegano said his team fought hard.

“In the first half, we had to battle the wind a little bit, but the girls showed some resiliency, came out and fought hard,” Emegano said. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight… They’re undefeated for a reason. They’ve got an excellent team, a good coach out there. All credit to them.”

With 2:28 to play, senior Jozalynn Ridge scored to end the shutout and give Edmond North a spark of hope. The Lady Huskies put all the pressure they could on the Lady Timberwolves, but time ran out on the season.

Emegano said his players never gave up.

“The plan going in at halftime, obviously we were down 1-0, was to see if we can high pressure them with the wind,” Emegano said. “They were able to score before we did, and then it was an uphill battle from there, and we kept fighting. Luckily, in the last five minutes, we were able to get one in.”

Norman North had taken the lead in the first half. Senior Meredith McAlester scored 6:20 into the game with a powerful, long-range strike. Freshman Narissa Fults doubled the lead 4:52 into the second half by getting behind the defense and finishing a quality pass from junior Jada Ryan.

With 9:36 remaining, the outlook of the final minutes changed. Edmond North’s Sophia Acuna committed a hard foul against Ryan, who shoved her in retaliation. Both players received yellow cards, but this was the second against Ryan. The automatic red card meant the Lady Timberwolves had to finish a player short.

Emegano said he will remember the seniors of his first full season as hard workers. He also said playing in a state championship game is an awesome experience for the players who will be returning.

“I had a young team,” Emegano said. “A lot of them got a lot of minutes. That should help. The experience should help bolster us next year and put us in an even stronger position next year.”