In February, Prep Rally brought you the amazing story of a California prep soccer game which needed an astounding 50 penalty kicks (and two days) before it could be decided. While that game may still take the cake when it comes to longest shootouts, a Texas playoff brought up an even more impressive statistic for one player in particular: Rockwall (Texas) High girls soccer goalie Miranda Larkin stopped 14 of 16 penalty shots she faced in leading her squad to the regional quarterfinals in a victory against Wylie (Texas) East High.
That's right: Larkin kept out all but two shots she faced in the crucible of a playoff shootout. Incredibly, the unnamed Wylie East girls soccer goalie stopped 13 attempts herself, creating what must be one of the most unsuccessful shootouts in recent prep soccer history.
Of course, that takes nothing away from Larkin or her Wylie East cohort, both of whom were nothing less of remarkable. In fact, Wylie East coaches even argued that the shootout should have continued because Rockwall allegedly bent traditional shootout rules to score the winning goal, taking more than the allowed time to make an attempt.
That hardly could keep Rockwall coach Melissa Garcia from raving about her keeper and the remarkable number of stops she made when she was interviewed by the Dallas Morning News.
"It was more [saves] than any keeper should have to make," Garcia told the Morning News. "'Beast' is what we are calling her now."
Beast, keeper, game-winner. Whatever Garcia and her team want to call Larkin, they certainly can't call her afraid of pressure under any circumstances.
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.