Staff photo / Brian Yauger Maplewood senior Morgan Himes (4) approaches the net with the ball during the Rockets’ 5-5 tie with Pymatuning Valley on Tuesday in Mecca. Himes had four goals in the draw.

MECCA — It came down to the final seconds, but the back-and-forth battle between Maplewood and Pymatuning Valley ended in a 5-5 draw.

A Nataleigh Haines goal with 29 seconds left gave the Lakers their fifth of the match and little time for any last-minute heroics from Rockets senior Morgan Himes.

Pymatuning Valley coach Jerry King knew the game had potential to be a nailbiter at the end. Whenever Himes had the ball, it’s a dangerous situation.

“I even told (the team) at halftime, if it was close to the end, (Himes) is going to probably be giving it everything in that last five minutes, especially if they were down,” King said.

Himes scored four goals in the game, including a pair in the final three minutes of the game that tied and retook the lead for Maplewood.

“She’s legit,” King said of Himes. “This isn’t the first year, we played them, obviously. She’s been good these last four years, and when she gets by everybody, she’s gone and doesn’t miss.

“Our game plan was to keep (the ball) away from her. We were doubling her in the middle, basically trying to win the ball out of the air and try to kick it away from her. Sometimes it didn’t work and the result was a goal, but I was happy that we did come back at the end and tie it up.”

Torri Shipman scored the Rockets’ first goal of the night, and the first of the game.

Sadie Paul scored a pair of goals for Pymatuning Valley, with Jayda Dismukes and Lindsey Shanks also finding the back of the net.

Maplewood is in a weird spot as a program. Coach Bronwyn Clark candidly described it as on the brink of death, but recovering. Between volleyball, and the school’s bread-and-butter Cross Country as options for girls in the fall, soccer could fall by the wayside.

At times, it’s a logistical nightmare, but the Rockets (0-2-1) are persevering. Players are involved in multiple fall sports just to be out on the field, including goalkeeper Lauran Krieg, who ran off the field at game’s end to join her volleyball teammates inside the nearby gym. Interest is growing, and Tuesday’s efforts against a good Lakers team could increase that interest.

“Honestly, I am very happy with how this game turned out today,” Clark said. “It’s our first tie of the season, and we’re very close to a win. Last season, the girls only had one win their entire season and that was, I believe, their first win in four years, so I’m very happy with the tie. Especially this early in the season here. I’m happy to say that we’re making progress in the season and we should have a win here soon.”

Their next chance to get in the win column comes in a road rematch with Pymatuning Valley on Monday.

The Lakers are on the road again on Thursday when they take on Badger.