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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, Mo. — Call it a gut check for the Lady Chiefs.
After giving up an early goal in the first half, Kickapoo rallied with three-straight scores of its own en route to a 3-2 victory over Nixa Monday afternoon.
Just fifteen minutes into the match, a host of Lady Eagle attackers swarmed in front of Kickapoo goalkeeper Chloe Young.
While Young was able to deflect a point-blank shot from Lexi Rasmussen, a follow-up strike from Erica Hartley found the back right corner of the net for a 1-0 Nixa lead.
Ten minutes later, Kickapoo’s Ellie Miller found herself in position to hit the equalizer when teammate Jalyn McClean played a ball into the middle.
“I knew Jalyn was going to get maybe a little trapped in that right corner,” Miller said. “So I made an effort to run as fast as I could, so she could play me in the ball. It was to my feet, but the defender was standing right in front of me. So, basically, we both ran in for it as hard as we could, and it was just a hard 50/50 tackle. Somehow the ball just ended up in the back of the goal.”
Just before halftime, the Lady Chiefs struck again, when Serena Boyce punched a touch shot from 20 yards out through a pair of charging defenders and into an open net.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Kickapoo head coach Phil Hodge praised the junior midfielder’s instinct to make the right shot at the time.
“What a great little touch she had on that ball,” Hodge said. “That would have been easy to just end up out of bounds over here on the sideline. She just got a little touch and beat the defender to the ball — another effort goal on a 50/50 ball that she found a way to get to.”
Suddenly, Kickapoo found itself in control after a first half filled with lackluster play, according to Hodge.
“In the first half, I wasn’t really real happy with our effort and our intensity level on some 50/50 balls,” Hodge said. “That’s what I was focused on talking about at halftime, and Ellie goes and completely makes a play based on her effort, which I feel our team is lacking at this point in the season. If we can develop that instinct, good things will happen.”
Good things continued to happen for Kickapoo in the second half.
Just five minutes into the period, Young made a diving save to thwart Nixa’s equalizer.
While the ball was deflected in front of the net, the Lady Eagles were unable to capitalize.
Nixa head coach Evan Palmer lamented his team’s missed opportunities.
“This is a game that we needed to win. When we had them down, we didn’t put them away.”
Palmer said. “We had the one shot that came out — well, it’s a tap-in goal, but who’s crashing goal? You see someone shoot, you always just go crash the goal. The ball’s standing right there for a tap-in, and we don’t get it done.”
Less than a minute later, McClean converted a pass from Miller into a third-straight score for the Lady Chiefs.
Down 3-1, Nixa was able to quickly answer McClean’s score with one of its own.
A corner set piece from Liz Davis turned into a beautiful header by Lizzy Shaw.
Suddenly, the Lady Eagles were within striking distance.
Late in the game, another golden opportunity for an equalizer presented itself in the form of a Nixa free kick from 35 yards out.
The entry pass cleared through the Kickapoo wall and bounced twice before a charging Young made a diving punch save to clear the attempt out to the corner.
Hodge was quick to credit his sophomore keeper for the game-saving play, especially after giving up the earlier set-piece score.”
“Such a tough position,” Hodge said. “You feel like you let the team down just because you’re the last one that the ball goes by, but what an incredible play to keep us ahead.”
For Young, the decision to charge out from the box after the ball was pure instinct.
“It’s always scary that you’re never going to get enough hand on it or that you just miss it, or something,” Young said. “By some miracle, that just didn’t happen.”
The win moves Kickapoo to 5-2-1 on the season and drops Nixa to 4-3.
Varsity Final: Kickapoo – 3, Nixa – 2
First half scoring
14:28 Nixa goal – Erica Hartley (Lexi Rasmussen assist)
24:39 Kickapoo goal – Ellie Miller (Jalyn McClean assist)
37:28 Kickapoo goal – Serena Boyce (Jalyn McClean assist)
Second half scoring
46:22 Kickapoo goal – Jalyn McClean (Ellie Miller assist)
47:52 Nixa goal – Lizzy Shaw (Liz Davis assist)
