WESTFIELD — Penalty kicks scared Granby freshman Dana Chateauneuf.
She was far down the list of takers for the Rams in Saturday’s Western Massachusetts Division 4 title game against Lenox, but a nine-round shootout called her into service. Granby and Lenox were tied at five makes, and each set of kicks could be the last.
“I was like ‘I hope this doesn’t happen,’ then it did,” Chateauneuf said. “My teammates calmed me down.”
She approached the ball with a running start and fired it into the top-right corner, giving Granby a 6-5 lead. Lenox matched every goal up to that point, and Katherine Nichols stepped to the spot. She pushed the ball left, out of Granby keeper Julia Gauvin’s reach but past the post.
“I didn’t even realize it at first,” Gauvin said. “She missed, that means we won. I started freaking out, and I cried.”
Gauvin ran toward the sidelines, and Kaeleigh Croteau jumped into her arms. Granby celebrated its fourth consecutive sectional title after a 6-5 win in the shootout at Westfield State.
“You can’t explain the feeling, and I swear every time it gets better,” said Granby junior Nora Young, who was a part of all four.
The Rams (15-5-1) will face Central Mass. champion Uxbridge in the state semifinals at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Chicopee Comp. Granby has lost its last four state semifinal appearances, all to Millbury.
“This group is not satisfied at all,” Granby coach Bob Weaver said. “They didn’t overlook this game, but they wanted to play on.”
The game ended scoreless after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods. Lenox (15-5-1) nearly ended it late in the second overtime when Mary Elliot broke down the middle of the field after a through ball. Emily Vallee chased her down with a perfect tackle to snuff out the threat.
“The defense, they don’t get credit during the season for a lot. They’ve been playing lights out,” Weaver said.
Granby hasn’t endured a penalty shootout since a 2010 loss to Gateway in the Division 3 final.
Both teams made two of their first five penalties. Trystin Burger and Young converted for the Rams, while Lenox keeper Sophie Patella made three saves. Julia Pehlert and Nicole Gamberoni scored for the Millionaires, and Gauvin stopped two shots for Granby.
That brought up Abbie Schilling with a chance to win. She rang the right post to extend the shootout and resuscitate Granby’s title hopes.
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” Gauvin said. “It was so nerve-wracking. It was crazy.”
It was Gauvin’s first penalty shootout. She made two saves, and Lenox missed three kicks.
Paige Looney thought she won it for Lenox in the seventh round after her shot connected with the crossbar and bounced down. It briefly appeared over the goal line, but the referees called it a miss and allowed the shootout to continue. Julia Frappier, Ella Laliberte, Gabby Walz and Chateauneuf scored for Granby in the later rounds, while Madison Sexton’s attempt was saved.
“That was scary. I just know that our girls are unbelievable PK takers,” Young said. “I think PKs are a crappy way to lose a game, but Lenox gave us a good match. They’re a great team.”
Granby put the ball in the net in the 69th minute, but Laliberte’s header was called offsides.
“That gave us a lot of motivation,” Young said. “Even though it didn’t count, that still motivated us.”
The Rams couldn’t beat Patella, who made 11 saves. Gauvin stopped three for the Rams.
“It was awesome. We came out at halftime like ‘we’re having so much fun out there,’” Young said.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.