Story By Brock Sisney
WEBB CITY — The hyper-aggressive Union Lady Wildcats ended Webb City’s historic 2021 season with a 6-1 victory in the Class 3 state quarterfinals Saturday at Cardinal Stadium.
The Lady Cardinals broke the shutout late when Union’s Emma Cloud tackled Webb City junior Anea Bemo in the box and Bemo put the penalty kick past the Union goalkeeper.
Union scored three goals in each half and consistently challenged Webb City junior goalkeeper Delaney Duke from conceivably every angle Saturday.
“I think just their aggression and their pace out of the gate was hard to handle,” Webb City head coach Nick Harmon said. “You’ve just got to give them credit where credit is due. They’re a good team, they were better than us today, and there’s no shame in that.”
Webb City finished the season with a 22-4 overall record, the best record by far in program history, and the Lady Cardinals won their second district title and advanced past sectionals to the quarterfinal round for the first time.
“My message to the girls (after the match Saturday) was that if you look at the entire season in perspective and take this day out of the equation, they have a lot to be proud of,” Harmon said. “I told them that with it being such a historic season and so many records being broken, they made it something to wear that uniform.”
Webb City senior starters Melia Blair, Mileah Metcalf, Sage Crawford, Velissia Perez, Chloe Johnston, and Haven Stanley played their final high school matches Saturday.
“The seniors, both throughout the season and today in the postseason, they’ve led from the front from the get-go,” Harmon said. “They’ve been team players, coachable, they’ve been encouraging to young players, and they’re the reason for our success.
The Lady Cardinals made a lot of lasting memories this season that can’t be erased even after a 6-1 defeat Saturday.
“I think it’s just all the fun times they’ve had,” Harmon said. “How they tease each other, tease the coaches, and overall they don’t take themselves too seriously, but when it comes time to play, they work hard and practice hard. I’ll just remember the way they carried themselves and how they approached the game. They were a lot of fun to coach.”
Going forward, things seem to be looking up for the Webb City girls soccer program.
“I don’t know if there’s a way to put it in words,” Harmon said. “All the records they’ve broken and the accomplishments they’ve made, they pushed this program to new heights.”
Union improved to 24-2 overall and the Lady Wildcats, fourth place in 2018 and 2019, play Ft. Zumwalt South (20-2) in the semifinals Wednesday.
