State Finals: Game 21 vs. 20-0 Valley Center
The 'Toast of McPherson'
This Derby had a clear favorite once we got blown to McPherson, KS. The
State Final figuratively took place last Tuesday at STA, but we took the
field at a few minutes after 2:00 Saturday to take on the best of the
Southwest, undefeated at 20-0, Valley Center in 27 MPH wind, for it was
windy, baby.
Going against that wind in the first half did add some drama and
competitive zeal to state final. The game stayed knotted at 0-0 until
about the 20 minute mark. Then Hannah Kwapiszeski (The BWhite Player of
the Match) sliced a beautiful diagonal ball to Kelly Sweeney who just
made a great individual play to remove most of the drama, as we took the
1-0.
Once again, just a few minutes before half, Kutey scored on a ball from
Hannah Pyle. (I am not sure who else around has a streak going of
scoring a goal in every state playoff game she has ever played in, but
Jamie stands at 6 and counting.) Taking that 2-0 lead into halftime
against that wind took away any drama of who was going to win this state
title.
But second half just became the living out of the final game of the
season for the girls together. They had come a long way this season,
playing as tough a schedule as any girls' soccer team had played in STA
history, winning (going undefeated) the league that placed its second
and third place teams in the 6A state final, securing yet another TOP 25
finish in the country, and more importantly making sure its group of 10
great seniors would become only the second group of girls ever to win 4
titles and 4 years.
Coach Hammons should get a clear shoutout for the second half as his
attention to detail for the girls to tweak and improve the throw-in play
just before leaving for the windy city lead to three second half
throw-in goals.
One of those goals came from the script of the soon-to-be movie: The Julie Bride Story.
If you were at the senior dinner you know that Julie was at the 2006
state championship, also held at McPherson College, as a little girl
watching Erin Ellefson hit the game-winning goal in double overtime,
cementing her decision to come to Aquinas to play soccer some day. And
here we were back for her senior year in the State Final at the exact
same spot. That is movie stuff especially when she wheeled and laced
one in with 26:18 left in the match.
The only other drama of the second half came from most of the back line
coming forward to catch more of the action creating a great goal scoring
opportunity in the final minute of the game, but Natalie Kutney came up
with a big save to keep the the Hornets at zero.
We may have more coaches than required to run three teams, but I know
each one of them has found a way to connect and improve the soccer
experience of our girls. We thank them for a great season.
And as Coach Hammons says each one of those banners in the gym is the
cover of a small book, and if you get real quiet, real quiet and you
just listen those girls will come alive and tell you their story.
People are going to love hearing the story of the 2013 girls soccer
team.
Goodbye to: Hannah Pyle, Adrienne Lister, Anna Hagenkord, Natalie Owens,
Rachel Riggs, Natalie Kutney, Hannah Kwapiszeski, Abby Kern, Julie
Bride and Libby Reazin.
STATS: First Half: STA: Shots: 6 (5) Corners: 5
21:02 Sweeney (Quick deadball moves it wide to Kwap hits the long diagonal)
3:03 Kutey (Pyle chips it beautifully it to Jamie for the pullback and shot)
Horners: Shots 4 (2) Corners: 0
Second Half: STA: Shots: 12 (6) Corners: 5
38:35 Meyers (Kwap throws the ball over Kutey to an on-running Hannah Pyle for the flick)
26:18 Bride (Reazin throws to Bride)
17:26 Disidore (Reazin throw to the Kutey headflick)
Hornets: Shots 1 (1) Corners: 0
Corners Created (Kutey 4, Kern 3, Pyle, Dizzy, Sweeney)
Shots: (Meyers 3, Disidore 3, Sweeney 3, Kutey 2, Pyle 2, Bride, Kwap, Holmes, Reazin, Riggs).
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