By Kai Raymer
Springfield, Mo. — One of the two championship trophies for the Kickapoo Shootout is coming back home.
Kickapoo survived a strong head wind in the first half of Saturday’s Brown Division championship game against Jackson, setting the stage for a late goal by freshman Jalyn McClean and 1-0 victory against Class 4’s No. 10-ranked team.
The result is particularly sweet for Kickapoo’s nine-player senior class – many of which have been on varsity for three or four years but had never won a championship in their home tournament, now in its 22nd year.
“Winning this tournament was a major goal for the team and all of us seniors,” said Kickapoo senior Annalee Arbeitman.
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McClean, who had two goals in Kickapoo’s 4-0 win against Willard on Friday, created her goal in the 70th minute with speed and hustle.
After Alyson Reinold played a long ball that bounced over Jackson’s centerback, a sprinting McClean raced past Jackson’s lone defender and deflected the ball off of the shin of Jackson’s keeper to prevent a clean save.
Jackson attempted to kick the ball out of bounds, only to have it hit the crossbar and remain in play. McClean capitalized on the rebound from the right side, going low to send the ball along the ground and into the far corner of an empty net.
“I just went for it,” said McClean, who now leads Kickapoo with nine goals on the season. “I slid and my finish was there.”
For Chiefs coach Phil Hodge, the result was all about his team’s performance in a challenging first half.
Kickapoo was playing into a 15-20 mph south wind in the opening 40 minutes. Jackson’s possession-based style forced the Chiefs to defend for the majority of the first half.
“Our kids won the game in the first half by staying organized, battling the wind and, defensively, being pinned in for 40 minutes,” Hodge said.
The Chiefs dodged a bullet in eight minute when a Jackson shot was deflected and hit the crossbar. Getting to halftime 0-0, Kickapoo was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Everybody kind of had it in our heads that the hardest part of the game was over because that wind was really brutal,” Arbeitman said. “I think our back line, our midfield, our forwards, we all did an excellent job of just holding on and not letting (Jackson) score with that brutal wind in our faces.”
Jackson threatened again in the in the 62nd minute, as the Indians got off a clear shot inside the box following a rebound skirmmish. Kickapoo goalkeeper Ari Acuff made a diving save to keep the match 0-0.
Kickapoo (9-3-2 overall) has now played four state-ranked teams in the past eight days. The Chiefs, winners of five straight matches, will have played 11 games between April 7-20.
Kickapoo hosts Hillcrest on Monday for senior night and travels to Joplin the next night. The Chiefs face a mid-season showdown with Ozark at home on April 20.
“All of these games, hopefully when that district tournament gets here, we’ll feel like we’re prepared for everything and ready to go,” Hodge said.
KICKAPOO SHOOTOUT BROWN DIVISION
Thursday’s games
Kickapoo 2, Smith-Cotton 1 (OT)
Jackson 8, Willard 0
Friday’s games
Jackson 5, Smith-Cotton 0
Kickapoo 4, Willard 0
Saturday’s games
Kickapoo 1, Jackson 0
Willard vs. Smith-Cotton, 11:30 a.m.
