Staff photo / Preston Byers Gilmour Academy’s Abigail Steiner (27) and Howland’s Grace Villwock (17) chase the ball down the field during the Lancers’ 3-2 playoff overtime win over the Tigers in Howland on Monday.

HOWLAND — Howland’s girls team appeared set to advance to the Division III, Northeast 2 district final. As time on the home scoreboard ticked away Monday night, the Tigers inched closer to a win against Gilmour Academy.

However, with less than two minutes until the final whistle, the Lancers’ Elaina Kline-Ruminski tied the match up and turned it on its head. In sudden-death overtime, Kline-Ruminski scored again, ending the Tigers’ historic season with a 3-2 defeat.

“That’s why they say soccer is such a cruel sport,” Howland head coach Greg Mitchell said. “We did everything to win tonight but put the ball in the back of the net as often as we had opportunities to do so.”

Until Monday, Howland’s season had gone just about as well as one could hope. The Tigers set or tied multiple program records, including for wins, consecutive wins, goals and assists.

But the goal proved uncharacteristically elusive for the Tigers against Gilmour. While the Lancers took the lead 15 minutes into the match on one of their first opportunities at the goal, Howland watched as its shots went right, left and over the net — but not, crucially, in between the posts.

The lack of scoring was not caused by a lack of chances, and that frustrated and concerned Mitchell.

“Sometimes when the game unfolds, and you’ve been there so often, you’re hoping that it doesn’t go that way, but you could kind of sense it,” Mitchell said.

Elise Christy’s goal just past the midway point in the first half seemed like it could ignite Howland’s typically explosive offense. But the Tigers continued to miss what would prove to be key opportunities in building a lead.

After halftime, the teams picked up where they left off; Howland largely controlled the pace of the match while Gilmour made the most of its relatively limited chances at the net.

The score, which remained tied for more than 66 minutes, finally tilted in favor of Howland after a Grace Villwock shot ricocheted off of a Gilmour defender and into the net, giving the Tigers their first lead.

With the advantage, Mitchell thought his team would be able to “finish it off” and escape with a win.

But the soccer gods, Mitchell said, had different plans.

With 1:47 left in the match, Kline-Ruminski gave the Lancers life and an opportunity to advance to the district final.

Soon thereafter, during a 15-minute sudden-death overtime period, Kline-Ruminski snuck a shot into the goal amid a scrum of players and thus made sure Gilmour would advance.

The loss devastated the Howland players, many of whom cried for more than 20 minutes after the match ended.

Mitchell, while disappointed, shined a smile while effusively praising his team.

“They’ve been around me long enough to know that when they play well, regardless of the result, I am [proud]. That’s why I am in the mood I am right now,” Mitchell said. “I know they are disappointed, but I am just really, really proud and really happy with the way that they’ve played all season long.”

The loss, Mitchell hopes, will not taint a season he called a “high note.”

Regardless, his pride in the 2024 squad remains unyielding, evidenced by the coach gathering his entire team at midfield following the loss to snap a few photos together.

“I’m not really a big picture guy, but I haven’t really had one with them all season, other than picture day,” Mitchell said. “But I just wanted to get one with them around the tiger…

“I just wanted to get one with them, especially with the seniors. This class is the first I’ve been with for all four years. I just wanted to have that memory, if you want to call it that.”