Maddie Rockey buried a free kick in the 79th minute on Aug. 20 to give the Milford Eagles girls soccer team a 1-0 home-opening victory over Lakota East.

The match was scoreless for 78 minutes. Then the junior center back stepped up and ended it.

Rockey's strike was the only goal of the night, earning her Player of the Match honors from the program, according to Milford Athletics on X. The account called the goal a "last minute BANGER of a free kick" in a post shortly after the final whistle.

Lakota East entered the non-conference match at Eagles Way as a tested opponent. The Thunderhawks had beaten Little Miami 3-2 on Aug. 18, with Polacheck scoring twice and Lanjo adding a goal, and followed that with a 3-1 win over Springboro on Aug. 19, according to the Springfield News-Sun. That made the shutout all the more impressive.

Junior goalkeeper and captain Lindsay Bruce was the reason the Eagles stayed in the game long enough for Rockey's heroics. Bruce made eight saves on the night, repeatedly denying Lakota East's attack to preserve the clean sheet. Milford Athletics praised her for a dominant performance in goal, noting she kept the team in the match throughout.

The win moves Milford to at least 1-1 on the young season after a 3-2 loss at Fairfield on Aug. 14, and it marked the Eagles' first game on their home pitch this year. MaxPreps confirmed the final score as a non-conference result.

Milford heads to Sycamore on Aug. 22, for a noon kickoff, then travels to Lebanon on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. for the Eagles' first Eastern Cincinnati Conference matchup of the 2026-27 season.