“I don’t really think I looked, I kind of kicked it and blinked and it was in,” Strohecker said of her game-winning strike. “It was just so exciting.”

In a matchup between two of the best defenses in the area, it was fitting that a goalkeeper scored the deciding penalty kick in a shootout after a scoreless draw through 100 minutes of regulation and overtime.

Entering Saturday, the two teams had conceded a combined 14 goals in 45 games this season. In the final, they sparsely gave up opportunities throughout the game as both squads added another clean sheet to their combined count of 34 on the year.

Freedom’s Addy Hess came closest to opening the scoring in a cagey first half, hitting the post in the 14th minute. The Penn State commit couldn’t add to her tally of 43 goals and 19 assists on the season, but she consistently powered an Eagles attack that scored 120 goals this spring.

The Eagles (24-0) began practicing penalty kicks at the end of every practice once the postseason began and finally put their work to use in the most important moment of their season.

Freedom missed its second kick of the shootout, but Strohecker saved Colgan’s next penalty. The Sharks hit the crossbar on their next attempt while the Eagles stayed perfect, converting each of their last three attempts before storming the field in celebration.

“It’s so hard to be perfect, right? There’s so many things that go on,” Coach Chris Campbell said. “They just kept gritting it out and it is so rewarding as a coach to watch them celebrate.”

Strohecker’s save and eventual game-winning strike helped Freedom overcome a feisty Colgan (20-2-1) team that suffered just two losses this season. Both came against the Eagles.

Freedom defeated Colgan last month to win its first regional title and continued its season of firsts Saturday by finding another way to win. With the victory, the Eagles reached the pinnacle of high school soccer success: a perfect run to the state championship.

“If you would have told me four years ago when I was a freshman we were going to be winning a state championship, I would have not believed you,” Hess said. “It feels unreal. Going undefeated is basically unheard of, a lot of teams aren’t able to do it, so it’s really good that we accomplished that together.”