Rolla doesn't seem to understand the meaning of "Fear the Poo."
At least not when it comes to girls soccer.
Addy Brow's goal in the game's final minutes helped the state-ranked Lady Bulldogs extend their recent domination over the Lady Chiefs with a 1-0 road victory. Not since 2009 has a Kickapoo squad bested the Rolla girls on the pitch.
On a set piece with 5:18 left in the game, the junior forward fielded a short pass from Morgan Gabriele.
What followed was a 30-yard bomb that sailed over the defenders and into the upper back net.
"We've run that play a thousand times in practice," Brow said. "The wind at our backs definitely helps, but I think the big part of it was just executing the play. I just kept thinking, 'side-netting, side-netting, side-netting,' just keeping it on frame and hoping we could get a deflection."
Rolla head coach Mike Howard thought the set piece play could work, particularly with a strong wind blowing in his team's favor.
"We talked about it at halftime with the way the wind was blowing," Howard said. "If we got one on that particular corner, we were going to run that play the very first time. Luckily we got one there at the end, and we were able to score a goal. Give Kickapoo credit, though. I would say that's the best soccer team that we've played so far."
While Brow's rocket certainly came at the right time, it also helps when you have an all-state goalie protecting your box at the other end.
Rolla's Katie Hudson turned in yet another solid performance on the evening, notching the 47th shutout of her high school career. The senior's three saves were punctuated by a big one in the second half where she took some contact in traffic.
Howard praised his all-state keeper for her gritty performance.
"We've only given up two goals in eight games," Howard said. "Katie has 47 shutouts in her career and five in a row this year. Katie's phenomenal. I can't say enough about her. She did a great job."
Despite Rolla's late-game fireworks, it seemed like the game and win streak could be ripe for the breaking … right up until Brow's goal.
Kickapoo's combination of size, ball control and tenacity helped monopolize possession after possession; however, the Lady Chiefs couldn't capitalize on either of two golden opportunities. A set piece late in the first half produced a perfect crosser to the back post, but the header attempt sailed wide.
In the second half, Kickapoo received an indirect free kick from the corner of the penalty box, only to see it slam into the crossbar.
Kickapoo head coach Phil Hodge lamented the missed opportunities and defensive breakdown that led to Rolla's game-winner.
"We talked about that at halftime," Hodge said. "That's kind of how the Rolla team lives. They're good at finding a set-piece goal, or have a foul created out here and score off it. They're very good at it, and they did it. We just had a little breakdown there, and it's frustrating."
One shot that changed everything.
Were it not for Brow's heroics, the storyline might have belonged to Kickapoo's Annalee Arbeitman.
The junior defender utilized her size, speed and physical play to repeatedly kill attacks and frustrate Rolla's front line. Arbeitman proved to be a one-on-one nightmare for the Lady Bulldogs and was a big reason for Kickapoo's dominance within the possession game.
"Annalee really demands a lot of respect in the middle of the field," Hodge said. "She plays with the kind of passion we really want. She's very technical in what she does and really has a good understanding of the game. She takes a lot of pride in it and just plays hard."
Rolla (6-1-1) travels to Webster Groves on Saturday, while Kickapoo (7-1-2) visits Nixa on Monday.
Rolla – 1, Kickapoo – 0
Scoring
Rolla – 74:42 Addy Brow (Morgan Gabriele assist)
