By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Many of Nixa’s current seniors were on the field the last time Nixa and Ozark played – a 2019 district semifinal.
Ozark won in overtime, ending Nixa’s season.
On Wednesday night, the Lady Eagles unleashed two years’ worth of payback.
Nixa netted four first-half goals and cruised to a 6-0 win on Ozark’s home turf. Nixa senior Abby Harrison finished with two goals while fellow senior Bailey Reynolds had one goal and two assists.
“That (2019 game) was kind of our boost to go really hard today,” Reynolds said. “We had to come out and win this game, because we still had that (loss) in our minds a bit. We had to come out, win and show (Ozark) we still got it.”
Nixa coach Evan Palmer didn’t hesitate to bring up recent history in the pregame talk with his team.
“That (2019 district game) was mentioned,” Palmer said, with a laugh. “Obviously, it’s two different teams now. But our seniors, who were sophomores back then, were huge players for us. So they remember. It was a big motivation for us.”
Nixa struck first in the fourth minute when Reynolds scored off a free kick from about 25 yards out. The goal was similar to her sensational bender against Kickapoo on April 12, although she didn’t face as much of an angle this time.
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“I wasn’t as (surprised) because I saw where I was and thought, ‘Yeah, I can just get it in that (far) corner tonight,’” Reynolds said. “I had a lot more confidence in this one. It was more on-frame than the (Kickapoo) one.”
Said Palmer: “Bailey’s really good at those (set-piece kicks). She’s reading the wind and where to put (the ball). She’s had some spectacular goals here lately.”
Nixa went up 2-0 in the 18th minute when Reynolds’ corner kick found Katie Kamies, who scored on a header.
Kamies, a William Jewell soccer commit and varsity basketball player for Nixa, is a natural target around the net.
“I usually look for a few specific (teammates) who I know are really confident about winning the ball out of the air,” Reynolds said. “Katie was the most confident one in the box that I could see. So I just thought, ‘Let’s get it to Katie because I’ll know she get there.”
Said Kamies: “The ball was coming right to me and no one was guarding me. I just closed my eyes and jumped.”
Harrison scored the first of her two goals in the 21st minute to give Nixa a 3-0 lead. Emma Hartley and Alexa Gaunt also netted goals in the blowout win.
“Ozark’s always fun to play because we just… want to destroy them,” Kamies said. “Because we’re rivals.”
Ozark, trailing 1-0 at the time, nearly scored an early equalizer. Annabelle Shuler got loose on a breakaway in the 10th minute, but her shot went wide of the left post.
Shuler, a sophomore, is one of several underclassmen playing significant minutes for Ozark. The Lady Tigers have just two seniors on the roster.
Nixa improved to 8-3 overall, which includes a pair of 1-0 losses (to Liberty and Jackson).
“We’ve figured out a good formation for us, but we’re always open to change if we need to,” Reynolds said. “We’re really good at adapting to whoever we play against. But, there’s always room to improve in our attacking. We just have to work on getting our shots off.”
Nixa plays its fourth game in seven days on Thursday night, when the Lady Eagles host Joplin.
Ozark hosts Neosho on Thursday night and plays at Sedalia Smith-Cotton on Friday. The Lady Tigers will have played six games since April 15.
Nixa 6, Ozark 0
Nixa 4 2 — 6
Ozark 0 0 — 0
First half
Nixa (4’) – Bailey Reynolds (unassisted)
Nixa (18’) – Katie Kamies (Reynolds assist)
Nixa (21’) – Abby Harrison (unassisted)
Nixa (24’) – Emma Hartley (unassisted)
Second half
Nixa (45’) – Alexa Gaunt (Reynolds assist)
Nixa (53’) – Harrison (Kamies assist)
