The high school fall sports season for Tiverton and Portsmouth yielded a number of playoff teams for each school. The four girls' teams from Tiverton — the volleyball, field hockey, soccer and tennis squads, each won at least one postseason contest. Portsmouth's boys' and girls' soccer teams, the girls' cross country squad and the football team each qualified for the state playoffs thanks to fine regular-season play.

Some teams advanced deeper into the postseason than others. And the farther they advanced, the more pressure they felt. The following vignettes contend with local players who found themselves, whether they liked it or not, in the playoff spotlight.

Sport: Girls' field hockey

Event: Division-One state semifinal

Situation: Fourth-seeded Tiverton and unbeaten, regular-season champ Barrington play to a scoreless tie in regulation and then fail to score in the first 10-minute overtime. The game goes into a second overtime.

Under the bright lights: Tiverton goalie Erica Schlatter

Outcome

Barrington, as it had done for most of regulation play, kept the pressure on the Tiverton defense. Schlatter made 19 saves in the first 70-plus minutes heading into the second overtime.

Then the Eagles made another offensive thrust which had the Tigers running around trying to match up with an opposing player. Tiverton goalie Erica Schlatter found herself forced to make a big decision.

"A girl crossed the ball and there was another girl on the post," Schlatter said. "I dove for it. I knew the ball was under my leg but I knew if I moved the ball would go in. Obviously I'd rather have a penalty stroke than a goal. As soon as the ref beeped her whistle I started crying."

Barrington was awarded a penalty stroke, a shot which pitted Schlatter one-on-one against Barrington All-Stater Julie Ruggieri.

"During the season (Ruggieri) shot the ball so hard that it hit my pads, forced them open and the ball rolled in," Schlatter said. And I never did practice against penalty strokes in my whole life.

"I was shaking real bad. I was trying to stop myself from crying. Finally I managed to pull it together."

Ruggieri settled her stick under the ball seven feet in front of Schlatter. When the whistle blew, she lifted the ball high and into the cage for a goal. Barrington players swarmed Ruggieri and Schlatter walked past the swarm toward her bench.

"I was mad at myself. I didn't want to disappoint the team," Schlatter said. "The biggest thing was I didn't want to let down my sister. She's a senior and it's her last year. She was always saying she wanted to win the championship."

On the way to her bench Schlatter's mask was tossed, "because I couldn't breathe. I was real hot and sweaty."

The goalie was hugged by her teammates and then her sister arrived.

"My sister came over and hugged me and told me it was okay. She told me she loved me," Schlatter said. "It was a really emotional moment."

Schlatter undoubtedly was upset but she should have remembered she stopped 19 previous shots and the only one to get by her came in a one-on-one situation.

"If I had known during the season it would have come down to that, I would have practiced for penalty strokes," Schlatter said. "The whole game is a blur. I tried real hard. Then I started thinking that we had some chances to score but we didn't. You really can't get down on yourself. There is no 'I' in team."

Sport: Girls' soccer

Event: Division-Two state championship match

Situation: Portsmouth and Scituate play to a 2-2 draw in regulation and then play two scoreless 10-minute overtimes to send the game to a shootout.

Under the bright lights: Portsmouth penalty kick shooter Mariann Rossi

Outcome

Portsmouth coach Bob Campion picked his five penalty shooters while the Scituate coach did the same. One by one the Portsmouth players alternated shots with the Scituate players and one by one all 10 scored. After the opening shootout round, the score was deadlocked.

Now the situation changed. The Portsmouth player shot first then the Scituate player. If the Portsmouth player made her shot, the Scituate player had to do the same to keep the game going. If the Portsmouth player missed her attempt and the Scituate player made good on her shot, Scituate would win the championship.

The coaches had to select their next shooter and Campion chose junior Mariann Rossi, a player who had scored her team's second goal in regulation.

"I was telling him not to pick me," Rossi said. "I'm not very good under pressure. I knew the whole game could end with this kick. But all you can do is try."

Rossi adjusted the ball on the penalty line in front of the goal.

"I was trying to clear my mind because it's easier to focus then," she said.

Rossi stepped back and waited for the whistle. When she heard it she approached the ball and booted it. But her foot got under the ball and it sailed high over the crossbar.

"I was trying to go to any corner," Rossi said. "Usually it's the hardest for the goalie to get to. But I rushed myself. I turned away because I knew. I didn't even look. I doubted myself. I think that's why I missed."

When Scituate's Kaitlyn Birrell made good on her kick, the Spartans claimed the title.

"I felt like it was all my fault," Rossi said. "But subconsciously I knew it wasn't. Still, I felt like I let the team down.

They were all very supportive. They just talked me through it. It helped me through it."

Rossi probably would like nothing better than to take the kick over. And because she is a junior this year, she may get the chance. But for now, "I think it's never going to go away completely. It's something I'll never forget. The setting, what I was thinking, how I was feeling. And I'll never forget the aftermath. It's just something that will stay with me forever. But I'm fine with it."

Sport: Girls' soccer

Event: Division-Two state championship match

Situation: Portsmouth and Scituate play to a 2-2 draw in regulation and then play two scoreless 10-minute overtime to send the game to a shootout.

Under the bright lights: Portsmouth goalkeeper Mary Key

Outcome

From Mary Key's perspective, and probably from every other Portsmouth player and fan, the championship belonged to the Patriots. Defending champion Portsmouth was up 2-0 with 17 minutes left in the game. The Pats were about to make it two straight.

Apparently Scituate didn't feel that way. The Spartans rallied to score two goals in 11 minutes to send the game in to overtime. After no one scored, a shootout ensued.

"I was in a shootout once for (youth soccer)," Key said. "But there was definitely a lot more pressure now. All those people watching you. But I was really pretty confident."

Portsmouth sent its five shooters out and Scituate did the same. Portsmouth went first in the format and Scituate followed. Each of the Portsmouth players made her shot. A couple of times, Key got her gloved fingertips on a Scituate shot but she couldn't stop the ball from going in the net. Then the fifth shooter, Scituate goalie Erica Florenz, lined up her attempt.

"I predicted where she was going to shoot," Key said. "I watched her eyes. Even though my coach doesn't want me to, I guessed and went that way. But she got it in."

Now the situation changed. The Portsmouth player shot first then the Scituate player. If the Portsmouth player made her shot, the Scituate player had to do the same to keep the game going. If the Portsmouth player missed her attempt and the Scituate player made good on her shot, Scituate would win the championship.

Mariann Rossi shot for Portsmouth but her attempt was high. That meant if the next Scituate shooter put the ball past Key, the game was over.

"I definitely thought about it," Key said. "But there's nothing you can do about it."

Scituate's Kaitlyn Birrell then drilled a shot past Key into the lower left corner giving Scituate the title.

"I got over it. I had to leave for New Hampshire for a cousin's wedding the next day so I got over it pretty quick," Key said. Our coach said to leave our emotions on the bus so that's what I did. You can't take this too, too seriously. You just work your hardest no matter what.

"We did more than a lot of people thought we would. Some people didn't think we'd get as far as we did. I think our team deserved it."

Sport: Girls' tennis

Event: Division-Four state championship match

Situation: Tiverton and West Warwick are tied 3-3 with only the second doubles teams from each team left playing. Each doubles team has won one set so whichever duo wins the final set will clinch the state title match for its squad.

Under the bright lights: Tiverton's second doubles team of Jenna Darkow and Sarah Costa

Outcome

Darkow and Costa, who combined to win their doubles match against West Warwick during the regular season, gained a 4-3 advantage in games in the final set only to have Lee Ann Thornline and Amanda Petrarca rally to tie. With all of the other matches completed, fans of both teams cheered with every point.

"It wasn't too bad at the beginning," Costa said. At the end it was just us. It was a horrible experience."

"Once everyone started cheering and getting into it, you got nervous," Darkow said. "It was really like, scary and hard to concentrate."

It became scarier for the Tiverton pair when West Warwick won the next game to take a 5-4 advantage.

"It was probably the worst situation I've ever been in," Costa said. "We were both shaking like crazy. You just know when you're losing it. You get this feeling. And we were losing it."

Nonetheless the Tiverton tandem battled on even terms with their opponents in the next game. But down a point and serving, Costa couldn't get her first serve in. She managed to make good on the next serve but when the shot was returned she couldn't reach it.

"When the shot came toward me I knew I couldn't get it," Costa said. "I just knew it."

West Warwick players race don to the court and mobbed their teammates. Darkow and Costa stood waiting to shake hands but finally gave up and walked off the court.

"We were confident going into it because we beat them before," Darkow said. "I was happy for them because they won but I felt really bad.

"Our teammates were really supportive of us. I know they were disappointed but they were supportive."

Costa said, "The team captain gave us big hugs. The team was very supportive. I learned it's kind of nice to have someone else to lean on. Jenna and I are so close, basically because of tennis."

To the best of local media knowledge, reporters who attended the events involving the Portsmouth and Tiverton playoff teams declined to talk to the players mentioned. The reporters knew how the players felt and did not want them to have to rehash what had just happened while they held back tears.

After having interviewed each of them recently it appears they've all adjusted very well.

BY STEVE ROGERS

srogers@eastbaynewspapers.com