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ATLANTA - The Walker girls soccer team's state championship celebration may have begun a little prematurely, but at least it wasn't invalid.

Just after time expired and a shot by Nicole Himebaugh got past Lovett goalie Caitlin Torie for the first time all day, the Lady Wolverines rushed the field in a raucous celebration as fans cheered from the stands.

There was just one problem - time expired before Himebaugh got the shot off and regulation ended in a 0-0 draw.

The Lady Wolverines didn't let the nullified goal break their spirits as they went on to defeat Lovett, 4-1, in penalty kicks for the Class AA/A state title.

Walker coach Brad Brown said the voided goal helped his team in the end.

"I think that put a lot of wind in us," he said. "At the moment, we looked depleted. But I think we knew we could get it in the back of the net. The game was not done. We were going to keep at it."

Walker needed just four kicks to clinch the match. Taking the first shot, Haley Schwartz kicked the ball high and to the left of the leaping Torie.

Shooting for Lovett, Kacy Hardie tied the score at 1-1 when her low shot to the right got by Walker's Blair Thurston.

Lauren Skesavage gave the Lady Wolverines another goal with a low shot that rolled to the left of the diving keeper. And the scored remained 2-1 when Thurston made a save on Lovett's next shot.

The Lady Wolverines took a 3-1 lead when Meghan Pike's shot found the high left corner of the net. Once again, the Lady Lions were unable to answer as a shot by Liz Derrick struck the crossbar and bounced away.

Needing just one more goal to clinch the title, Walker's Nicole Locandro came through with a shot to the right of Lovett's keeper.

That's when the real celebration - complete with a trophy this time - began.

While Thurston made just one save in the penalty-kick round, her stellar performance throughout the match is what got the team to the point where it could win. After the game, she said he didn't doubt the outcome once they reach penalty kicks.

"I generally do better under pressure than not under pressure because I am not as focused on the game," Thurston said. "If I know it means something, I am going to play so much better than I do in a regular game."

Thurston said when it came time for penalty kick she just relied on her instincts.

"In my experience, most shots go to the left because it is an easier shot and you want to make sure you score," she said. "But a lot of it is just reaction. When they train you, a lot of the things, you just sub continuously react to in the game once you have learned it."

Lovett had its share of opportunities to win the game in regulation. The Lady Lions put their first shot on goal just two minutes into the game. They had 12 valid scoring attempts including one shot that struck the crossbar with 27:15 left in the game and a pair of near goals off of corner kicks.

The girls soccer title capped off a banner weekend for Walker's athletic program, which claimed state championships in boys soccer and girls tennis Friday.

Lovett and Walker met twice during the regular season with each team winning a match on its home field. In the end, the Lady Wolverines handed Lovett its first home loss of the season

"I am overjoyed," said Brown. "We are very excited of course."

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