Republic answered a goal by Carl Junction early in the first half, but couldn’t find an answer in the second half, as the Lady Tigers dropped a 2-1 decision on the road in the state sectionals Tuesday.
The game-winning goal came in the 46th minute, when players from both teams scrambled after a loose ball in the goal box. As keeper Jessica Laster dove to her right and her teammates tried to clear it, the ball deflected into the side of the net.
“We couldn’t get a lot going offensively,” says coach Kevin Hauck. “I thought defensively we did really well. Unfortunately in the second half, that one loose ball, Jessica tried getting her hands on it and wasn’t able to. We tried clearing it and weren’t able to.”
In the first half, Carl Junction had dominated possession in the early minutes. The Bulldogs took the lead just seven minutes into the game when they fired a shot past a diving Laster to make it 1-0. But a short time later, Republic got the equalizer when Carl Junction was called for a hand-ball in the goal box. Emily Jordan fired home the ensuing penalty kick to tie the score 1-1.
Although Republic had been a second-half team all year, they couldn’t find a solution to Carl Junction’s defense Tuesday night. The Lady Tigers were playing without Charlotte Mikkelsen, who had returned home to Norway at the end of her stint as a foreign exchange student. They were also without Molly Carter — and multiple injuries during the game, including a ball to the face that ended the day for captain Emily Griffith — left Hauck juggling his lineup.
“I’m really proud of the girls. We just didn’t have enough,” he says. “The one thing you can say is that this feeling that you’re feeling right now, you don’t want to feel it next year, so put the work in this summer, this fall, prepare yourself for next year and our goal is to get further next year.”
The loss ended Hauck’s first season as head coach in Republic. He led the Lady Tigers to their third district title — the first in three years. And he says it wouldn’t have happened without the seniors who’ll be leaving the program.
“I’m really proud of the ladies. They bought into the system,” he says. “It did take us a little bit. We did have to figure some things out.
“The girls…weren’t stand-offish. When we’d throw new drills…or new formations at them, they would be willing to try new things. The seniors stepped up and they were like, ‘Hey, let’s do this. Let’s see what can happen here.’ Everyone just followed behind that. That was really big because when your seniors can step up and welcome a new coach, everyone else feels like ‘This is okay to do,’ and they kind of buy into it as well.”
Despite losing eight players (including Mikkelsen), Hauck says he’s confident about next year’s team.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better first team. They’ve bought into everything. They’ve worked so hard, and they’re a special group. And the girls that we have coming back are a special group, and I’m really excited to see what we can do next year,” Hauck says. “We’ve got a lot of starters returning for next year and we’ve got a lot of youth coming up. Our JV really did a really good job this year, too, and really progressed throughout the season and showed a lot of talent,” he says. “Having this experience…is only going to better us, with such a young group coming back next year.”
Carl Junction advances to the state quarterfinals. Republic ends its season at 16-8.