Concord Girls 2, NorthWood 1

In a heated NLC battle, the host Minutemen came away with a victory amidst a controversial call in the closing minutes of the match.

NorthWood sophomore Yareli Castro and her Panther teammates dropped a 2-1 NLC contest with Concord on Wednesday evening in Dunlap. File photo provided by Chris Knight.

With the score tied at one, the center referee correctly called a foul on NorthWood inside their own goal box, setting up a penalty kick attempt for Concord. Senior Jada Swanson’s shot sailed high on frame and was deflected into the crossbar by Panther keeper Carly Mast.

However, the assistant referee contended that Mast left the goal line before the ball was struck by Swanson. The referee reset the ball and Swanson’s second attempt found the left side of the net, giving Concord a 2-1 lead with six minutes left on the clock.

The host team then went into full defensive formation and was able to kill off the rest of the half and sending the Lady Panthers home with a loss.

NorthWood will find itself back on the pitch Thursday as they travel to Lakeland for a non-conference battle with a potential sectional opponent.