There were hugs and the game ball, balloons and signs for Freedom forward Haley Gschrey after she scored her 100th goal in the Patriots’ 1-0 overtime victory against Liberty last Monday at Liberty.

“I’m ecstatic for her. She absolutely deserves it. She’s been a helluva player. It was kind of a struggle hitting that hundred, but I think she was trying a little bit too hard,” said Freedom coach Bob Eaton. “And it couldn’t have been at a better time for us as a team. I’m really happy for the girls because they totally dominated that game, but it’s a great individual accomplishment.”

Gschrey was at 96 goals with four games left in the regular season.

“Grace (Joseph) set it off really well,” said Gschrey. “She beat some defenders, and I told her to look for me throughout the whole game, so I told her, obviously, to look for me for a through, so she did. She picked her head up and saw me.”

Gschrey had other opportunities made more difficult by being marked.

“They marked me the whole entire game, which was frustrating, but we wanted to make the through balls in so we could get our speed up top,” she said. “It was a little closer to the goal. I really wanted to get this, so I was trying really hard.”