It took 15 minutes for Republic to score its first goal against Ozark, but it only took a few seconds to serve notice that it was in control of the game. Sarah Hicks took a shot seconds after the opening kick, banged the ball off the crossbar, and set the tone for the night in a 3-0 Republic victory.
Republic finally got on the board 15 minutes into the game when Regan Holmes scored her 11th goal of the season. Ten minutes after that, Republic made it 2-0 when Clara Fronabarger scored. And Erin Brown gave Republic a 3-0 lead when she scored with about 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
That was the end of the scoring, but Republic’s defense played a solid game and preserved the shutout.
Republic ends a four-game losing streak that began with two injuries in late April. Hauck said his team showed signs of turning things around in a 1-0 overtime loss to Webb City, but put the pieces together in Tuesday’s win.
“I thought Thursday was kind of us starting to turn the corner. I thought we played a really good game even though we had an unlucky break in overtime there,” he said. “Then we carried that into tonight and getting that win just helps boost our confidence, especially against Ozark who’s a rival in the COC and someone that we always want to compete with and hopefully beat.”
The win is Republic’s first against Ozark since 2015 and its third in program history. Ozark had won four straight against Republic.
The Lady Tigers are 12-9 overall, and they finish Central Ozark Conference play with a 7-2 record. That’s their best record in the league since the COC expanded to ten teams.
“I think being up there (in the COC standings) is showing how far this program has come along and how well we’re doing. It means a lot to the girls,” Hauck said.
Republic finishes its regular season with a game at Monett Thursday.
