There's a reason why it's being referred to as the District of Death.
Kickapoo, Nixa and Ozark (along with a vastly-improved Joplin) comprise an absolutely brutal Class 4, District 10 grouping and have log-jammed three of the top five spots in the O-Zone power rankings.
Following a 2-1 victory over Nixa Monday night, Kickapoo finds itself in the early driver's seat for the coveted top seed.
While the Lady Eagles had handed Kickapoo eight straight losses on the pitch since 2001, a quick goal (or in this case, two) can change things in a hurry.
Just 12 minutes into the first half, Alyson Reinold's blast from the left side of the 18-yard box found the top right corner of the net and gave Kickapoo the early lead.
Four minutes later, the Lady Chiefs seized another opportunity when Skylr Houzenga grabbed a deflection and punched a moon shot into the goal from 25 yards out.
With his team up 2-0 at the half, Kickapoo head coach Phil Hodge knew the Lady Eagles weren't done yet and was quick with a reminder.
"This group, seniors on down, has never beat Nixa," Hodge said. "On the flip side, I'm guessing what the Nixa kids heard at halftime was, 'Look, you've never lost to these kids.' So we knew they were going to come out and come with full energy."
Full energy might have been an understatement.
Nixa's attack looked frantic and completely out of sorts at times in the first half; however, coach Evan Palmer's squad was much more focused and direct in the second.
"We made a little adjustment, and that kind of helped us a little bit," Palmer said. "They were possessing a lot in the midfield, so we moved a girl into the midfield to kind of help with that, and that was kind of the key for us."
Kickapoo weathered the Nixa onslaught early on; however, a knee injury to defender Sarah Holman ten minutes into the half rattled the Poo's focus a bit and forced Hodge to shuffle his rotation.
"The first eight or ten minutes, I thought we did OK," Hodge said. "Then we lost Sarah to an injury. So then, we're trying to piece together a lineup and energy. We got a little out of our style of play there in moments, but the loss of Sarah really threw us off defensively."
Nixa continued to press forward with its attack and forced Kickapoo keeper Ari Acuff to make a series of goal-saving defensive plays in front of the net in the half.
An early set piece featured a beautiful hooking crosser that nearly stymied the three-sport junior. After nearly watching the kick go into the goal, Acuff quickly reacted with a quick dive through traffic to cover the ball.
"I first saw it, and I thought it was in line with the goal post," Acuff said. "I was, like, 'it's going to hit the field goal; it's out,' and then the wind caught it and just barely brought it back. It dropped, and I was like, 'oh … I've got to get that.' It kind of just bounced around people and I just jumped on it."
Late in the half, another Nixa set piece would test Kickapoo's keeper once again.
While she got a hand on Erin Crawford's crosser to Katelynn Pittser, Acuff was unable to smother this one. Maycie Palmer gathered the deflection and blasted a goal past a twisted Acuff. Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, a single goal was all Acuff would yield in the match.
Despite the loss, Palmer was pleased with the comeback attempt.
"I think it really helps us moving forward," Palmer said. "We've played a few tough games already, and we've responded well in each one, and we've learned in each one. I was really impressed with the girls and how they came back and made it a game."
For Kickapoo, an inside track to the top seed might be in the cards, but Hodge realizes there's still a lot of soccer to be played, especially with both Ozark and Joplin coming up soon on the schedule.
"We're still trying to find an identity as a team," Hodge said. "We just want to get to where we're playing good soccer every night out. District opponent, conference opponent, non-league opponent … whoever it is, but yeah. This one's going to go a long way in that, for sure."
Kickapoo (8-1-2) opens play in its own tournament on Wednesday with Willard, while Nixa (4-3) hosts Joplin on Wednesday before joining Kickapoo's tournament on Thursday.
Kickapoo – 2, Nixa 1
Kickapoo 2 0 — 2
Nixa 0 1 — 1
First half
28:30 Kickapoo – Alyson Reinold, unassisted
24:13 Kickapoo – Skylr Houzenga, unassisted
Second half
9:50 Nixa – Maycie Palmer, unassisted
