By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
One streak is over. A new reign could just be starting.
Nixa claimed its first district title in three years on Monday evening, beating six-time defending district champion Kickapoo 3-1 at Republic High School in the Class 4 District 5 Tournament finals.
The Lady Eagles (22-1 overall) ensured their dominant regular season would not be wasted.
“We kept telling them, ‘You’re 2-0. So is Kickapoo. That (regular season) is over. We have to win or we’re done,’” said Nixa coach Evan Palmer. “It was two titans going at it, is the attitude we took into today.”
Palmer made sure to give his players a history lesson – six straight district championships won by Kickapoo – leading up to Monday’s match.
“I reminded them of that streak, yes,” Palmer said. “Beating them – and knowing the history between us and the fantastic matchups we’ve had – you know you’ve done something right. It’s pretty special.”
Said Nixa senior and co-captain Isabella Johnson: “That was a big (emphasis) for us coming into this game: How bad do you want to beat (Kickapoo) and take the streak from them?”
Nixa sophomore Shaelee Franck was the star of the match with a hat trick. She converted two penalty kicks and had a dazzling goal midway through the second half.
Franck eluded multiple Kickapoo defenders in the box for several seconds, and her patience paid off as she found an open window and drilled a shot into the back of the net. Nixa went up 2-0 with 25 minutes to play.
“I’m really confident with my one-on-one’s. I can play off either foot, so if I fake with my left or I fake with my right, I can usually curve that ball into the corner or anything,” Franck said. “And it usually goes in.”
Said Palmer: “She’s such a technical player. She knows how to get that step and get that shot off quickly.”
Franck was the beneficiary on a key play just two minutes into the match. London Kirk drew a foul on a long run into the box. Franck’s ensuing PK gave Nixa an early 1-0 lead.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“If we would’ve tried writing a script of what’s the worst possible way to start a game, we couldn’t have come up with that in the script,” said Kickapoo coach Phil Hodge. “To just be down at halftime only 1-0 after giving up such an early goal, credit to our kids for battling. We just couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end.”
Nixa will travel to Kansas City this Saturday, May 25 for a Class 4 quarterfinals contest versus Blue Springs South (15-4-1 overall). A year ago, Kickapoo beat Blue Springs South 5-4 in a wild match in the same round.
Nixa will be seeking its second final four berth in program history and first since 2013.
A year ago, Nixa gave up a late penalty kick goal and suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Kickapoo in the district finals.
“As I reflect back on that ending in districts last year, I just think if we win that game then it’s just too much, too soon,” Palmer said. “We don’t come back this season nearly as hungry. If we win that game, we probably don’t win this one. It’s going through those rough losses that creates the character and grit and everything you need to find your way in a game like this.”
Nixa progressed to a new level this spring and posted the best regular season record in program history.
The Lady Eagles have scored two or more goals in all but two matches. On the defensive end, only two opponents (Park Hill South and Harrison) scored more than one goal against the Lady Eagles’ defense.
Even scarier: Nixa is predominantly young. Only four seniors are on this year’s team.
“It’s all about want and fire,” said Johnson, who suffered a knee injury late last season and battled ankle injuries her first two seasons. “I’ve had a lot of injuries, but I’ve always wanted to come back and play. I want to keep winning. I want to go far this season. This is the best team I’ve ever played with.”
Kickapoo did not go down without a fight. Elli Davison’s goal with 10 minutes remaining brought Kickapoo within 3-1. Davison had another scoring opportunity a few minutes later.
“Our kids didn’t quit. It would’ve been easy to do that tonight,” Hodge said. “We just felt like we didn’t catch any favorable bounces. Nixa played a pretty solid game.”
Kickapoo concludes the season at 20-7 overall. The Lady Chiefs reached the 20-win mark for the fourth straight season.
“We’d sure like to win them all,” Hodge said. “We put ourselves in the position to win another (district) championship.”
Kickapoo will graduate four seniors, including four-year starting midfielder Baylea Davis. She started every game of her high school career.
“She was the cornerstone of our program,” Hodge said.
