By Denise Tucker
The Washington Lady Blue Jays struck first to beat the lightning and the Bolivar Lady Liberators on their way to a 2-1 win in a Class 3 quarterfinal game Saturday afternoon.
Mizzou signee Cassidy Nurnberger found sophomore midfielder Samantha Winistoerfer, who fired a shot that hit off the right post, then off the left post before settling in for a goal from just outside the 18, to put Washington on the board with 28:30 remaining in the first half.
The threat of severe weather hovered over most of Missouri for most of the day. And, while the game got started on time, a lightning strike about mid-way through the first half halted the game with Washington dominating possession.
The delay couldn’t have come at a better time for the Lady Liberators.
“I really felt like we were starting to gain some momentum right before the delay,” Bolivar coach Steve Fast said. “We went in and talked about some things, so it was almost perfect timing for us. We really controlled the rest of the first half, I thought, for the most part.”
Nine minutes after the delay, senior Grace vanHoornbeek sent in a corner kick that junior Paige Martin headed in for Bolivar, to tie the game at 1.
“Going into halftime, we were super fired up,” vanHoornbeek said. “We talked during halftime, ‘We’re not out of this. We still have a chance. They know that we want to come after them now.’ ”
Early in the second half, Washington had what it thought was the go-ahead goal. But a foul in the box against the Lady Blue Jays erased the goal and the game remained tied at 1.
“We came off from that goal being disallowed, which, it was probably the right call,” Washington coach Adam Fischer said. “I didn’t see it; the ref saw something. That’s soccer. You’ve got to make that call. That really could have deflated us big time, but I felt like our kids really hung tight and kept playing their butts off.”
Washington kept attacking and capitalized when Emma Pabst collected a rebound off a corner kick and squirted the ball past the Bolivar goalkeeper, giving the Lady Blue Jays a 2-1 advantage with 16:50 left in the game.
“(That goal) was deflating,” Fast said. “I think everybody got urgent. There was a little bit of urgency there, even though there was plenty of time in the game. We still had some urgency. We just couldn’t get a rhythm after that. They changed their formation. They started dropping their best players back, and just kicking the ball out and keeping it away from our forwards. The dynamics changed completely after that with just the systems. We were trying to change our system to try to get more bodies up, and it just didn’t flow after that.”
“It was kind of a shock,” vanHoornbeek said of the goal. “It was like, ‘how did that happen?’ And, they just kept pressuring. We didn’t see it coming as much as we should have seen it coming.”
Pabst’s goal sent Washington (22-4) into the Class 3 semifinals for the first time in program history.
“This year was our third district championship that we’ve ever won, and the first time the school had ever won a sectional game,” Fischer said. “They got out of districts before this twice in the 80s, but didn’t win that sectional game. This was our first quarterfinal game ever, and it’ll be our first final four.
“I think the kids were pretty excited to make a little bit of history here, and facing a Bolivar team that we knew was tough. They came up here ready to play. They came out of that lightning delay guns a-blazin’ and then really dominated that last 25 minutes or whatever. I was just proud of our kids in the second half for coming out and turning it around.”
Bolivar, which finished the season 18-2, loses eight seniors, including Saint Louis University signee Brionna Halverson, who finished her high school career with 162 goals, which ranks eighth all-time in Missouri.
“I just can’t say enough about what they have meant to this program on and off the field,” Fast said of his seniors. “They are some of the best leaders I have ever coached. I look forward to watching them as they take their journey through life. I will miss them tremendously.
“I’m very proud of (this team). In my book, they’re state champions. They play together no matter what, and they’re true teammates to each other. They’re great individuals on and off the field.”
Washington will take on Notre Dame de Sion (Kansas City) at 4 p.m. Friday, in the Class 3 semifinals.
“Coaches I’ve talked to say it’s like playing a college team,” Fischer said of Notre Dame de Sion. “They’re in the final four for a reason. You want the best teams up there. We’re gonna have to go up there, recoup a little injury or two and battle ‘em.”
CLASS 3 QUARTERFINALS
Washington Lady Blue Jays 2, Bolivar Lady Liberators 1
Bolivar (18-2) 1-0 – 1
Washington (22-4) 1-1 – 2
First-half scoring
Washington – Samantha Winistoerfer (assisted by Cassidy Nurnberger) – 28:30
Bolivar – Paige Martin (assisted by Grace vanHoornbeek) – 9:00
Second-half scoring
Washington – Emma Pabst (unassisted) – 16:50
Up next: Class 3 semifinals Washington vs. Notre Dame de Sion (KC), 4 p.m., Friday, June 1, at Swope Soccer Village, Kansas City
