Many teams dread having to play in overtime.

Just the thought of playing in a sudden death match can send shivers up and down the spines of many coaches. Such is not the case for Scott Jackson, head coach of the girls’ soccer team at Mehlville Senior High School.

“We’re not afraid of overtime,” Jackson told the Call. “When we go into overtime, I tell the girls that we’ve got them (the competition) right where we want them.”

The Panthers (8-4, 1-3 Suburban West) found themselves in their second overtime situation this season as they held a 2-2 tie with Visitation last week.

“They (Visitation) were probably the better team,” Jackson explained. “But our girls kept fighting and stayed in the game. In fact, we’ve been in overtime situations already and I told the girls to just keep plugging away.”

Mehlville’s Jessica Hawkins got the Panthers onto the scoreboard April 27 with her first goal of the 2004 season. The junior midfielder is drawing much praise for her efforts on the flank position.

“At the beginning of the season, Jessica was coming off the bench for us,” Jackson said. “She does the little things that you preach to players throughout the year and we’re really relying on her to work the flank position the way I want it to be played.”

The Panthers’ second goal of the game came from junior defender Alana Wuertz, who currently has two goals this season.

“Her natural position is probably sweeper,” Jackson said. “She’s a pretty versatile and solid player who has all the tools to become a great player.”

But it was freshman midfielder Christy Capkovic who stole the show at the three-minute mark in overtime with the team’s game-winning goal.

Capkovic currently leads the Panthers with 13 goals and four assists this season.

“She (Capkovic) is having one heck of a season,” Jackson said. “I think that she’s getting more and more comfortable with the upperclassmen as the season goes along.”

On April 29, the Panthers found themselves in another overtime situation, but this time it was against St. Vincent’s of Perryville.

“They (St. Vincent’s) went toe-to-toe with us,” Jackson said. “They kept battling all the way to the wire.”

At the 2:20 mark of the second overtime period, Mehlville’s Allison Schaughnessey ended the game with a goal that even got the attention of her coach.

“It was an awesome goal,” Jackson said. “She hit a cannon shot from outside the penalty box that went into the upper right-hand corner.”

The goal was the junior forward’s fourth of the 2004 campaign.

The Panthers head back into Suburban West Conference action at 6 p.m. today, May 6 — even as they travel to Lafayette for league match against the Lancers.

“Year in and year out, Lafayette and Oakville are probably the top two public-school programs in the state,” Jackson explained. “Unfortunately we’re going to be playing our fourth game of the week. What we’re going to have to do is start off quick and score early.”