St. Clairsville Jaeda Nowak gets to her feet after making a save that clinched Saturday's Division II East District 2 championship over John Glenn.

NEW CONCORD — Jaeda Nowak has made a lot of big saves in her four years as the goalkeeper of the St. Clairsville girls soccer team. However, none have been any bigger than the last one she made Saturday.

When the senior smothered Shi Williamson’s shot in the fifth — and final — round of the shootout, the Red Devils (12-5-2) had advanced to the Division II, Region 7 tournament for the first time in school history.

Nowak’s save, her ninth of the game, allowed No. 4 St. Clairsville to escape with a hard-earned, 2-1, nod over second-seeded John Glenn (11-5-2) in the Eastern District 2 championship game on the artificial surface in Muskingum County.

“There was a lot of pressure, but I told myself ‘I did it,'” Nowak recalled as she laid atop the ball as her teammates rushed to her. “I am really happy and proud of my teammates for the way they played in front of me.”

The two talented teams were deadlocked at 1 after 80 minutes of regulation play. Neither team would score in the two 15-minute overtime sessions, sending it to penalty kicks to decide a winner.

In the shootout, Megan Malin, Mikayla Hendershot and Bella Swan tickled the twine for the Red Devils through the first four rounds, while Caroline Lee, Katon Riehl and Bella Eubanks tallied for John Glenn. Each team missed a shot as the Muskies rang one off the crossbar and St. C. sent one over top of the cage.

That set the stage for the dramatics.

Gianna Nardo was the fifth shooter for the Red Devils. Her soft shot sailed over top of John Glenn goalkeeper Gwyn Lemon and into the back of the net.

“I had a lot of anxiety as I went up for the shot,” Nardo confessed. “I really thought I was going to miss it, but whenever she (Lemon) dove I went to the middle. I’m so glad she dove because I really thought I was going to miss it.

“I naturally go to the left side but I went to the middle instead. I’m glad I did,” Nardo added.

Now, all Nowak had to do was stop the next shot, which she did.

“She made the save. She’s been making saves like that all year … all four years for us,” St. Clairsville head coach Wes Stoner said. “I told her going into the shootout to just guess. If you guess right, you guess right and she did. You can’t say enough about her.”

Alyssa Bodkin had given the Red Devils, the fourth seed, a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute off an assist from Malin. It was Bodkin’s team-leading 21st net-finder of the season.

Bodkin, along with senior Emily Thompson, could only watch the ending from the sidelines. Bodkin was hit in the eye with a kicked ball while Thompson exited in the first half with a possible concussion.

“They both could be ready for Tuesday, Stoner advised. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

The Muskies drew even when Marina Nicolozakes shot was denied by Nowak, but it popped free and trickled across the goalline.

“How about our defense,” Stoner said in reference to Nardo, Swan, Sierra Musser, Jocelyhnn Zucco and Kellen Weidman. “They’ve been playing good all year but today they stepped it up. John Glenn has one of the most dangerous players we’ll see all season and we had to play our best game, which we did.”

With the victory, St. Clairsville earned the right to host third-seeded Dover, which blanked No. 1 Riverview, 2-0, Saturday. That contest will be played at Red Devil Stadium on Tuesday at 7 p.m.