Thanks to three highlight-worthy scores by Nixa junior Bailey Hunsicker, including a pair of gorgeous headers, the Lady Eagles took the sting out of the Lebanon Lady Jackets on Tuesday and cruised to a 5-0 sectional round victory to advance to the state quarterfinals in Class 4.
Despite the five-goal win for Nixa (18-5), Tuesday night's festivities could have turned out to be much more lopsided – given the fact that the Lady Jackets (13-14) consistently remained on the defensive and spent their time fending off the Lady Eagles' attacks virtually all game long.
“Their team speed is phenomenal,” Lebanon head coach Matt Jernigan said of Nixa. “They're just fast. We've got some fast girls, but their team speed is outstanding and that really hurt us. They were able to come at us strong.”
Nixa's Hunsicker didn't exactly help matters for Jernigan and the Lady Jackets as the junior forward utilized three of her squad's offensive attacks to find the back of the net.
PHOTOS: NIXA VS. LEBANON
But her first and third goals of the sectional contest will be the ones Hunsicker will likely remember for some time – coming in the form of picture-perfect headers off well-placed corner kicks.
“Bailey Hunsicker had just an incredible game,” Nixa head coach Evan Palmer said. “Those two headers were just beautiful, beautiful goals. They were as good as you get off a cross.”
Hunsicker's first goal – and header – of the match came with 24:13 to play in the first period when junior Alex Johnson booted a corner kick near the far post that found a leaping Hunsicker, who proceeded to use her head to knock the ball swiftly past Abbey Schmidt for a 1-0 Nixa lead.
“It brought off the pressure just a little bit,” Hunsicker said about goal No. 1. “Getting the first one really motivated us to get more.”
Four minutes later, Hunsicker struck again – this time with her foot to give her team a key 2-0 advantage and create some welcomed breathing room.
The scoreboard would stay pat until the 25:37 mark of the second period when Schmidt collected a netter of her own off a Hunsicker assist to stretch the Nixa lead to three.
That set the stage for the Hunsicker's final act on offense – a header off a corner kick from senior Paige Gerkin just over two minutes later that seemed like an instant replay of her first score.
“I've been wanting those so bad because I've taken so many,” said Hunsicker, who had never recorded a header goal in her career going into Tuesday's action. “I finally got one, and the second one was great, so I'm really excited.”
For good measure, freshman midfielder Madisyn Pritchett slipped one past the goal line late in the match to conclude the scoring and further secure Nixa's fourth consecutive berth into the round of eight despite entering district tournament play as the No. 3 seed.
“Each year is a different story and each year is a different uphill battle,” Palmer said. “Of the four [years], this is probably the most improbable just because of where we were in the district. We're riding this wave as long as we can.”
Lebanon sees a rather improbable run of its own come to an end after the Lady Jackets managed to catch fire late and win its previous six games before Tuesday's loss.
“They're a phenomenal group of young ladies,” Jernigan said of his team. “They've got some soccer skills, but more than that, they're just unbelievable young ladies on and off the field.”
Nixa will have revenge on its mind when it battles on Saturday with Class 5 No. 1-ranked and one-loss Lee's Summit, which eliminated the Lady Eagles in the same round last season.
