For the first 60 minutes of Republic’s game with Jefferson City Wednesday, it looked like more of the same for the Lady Tigers. Although Republic threatened to score on several occasions, they failed to put the ball in the net as the Lady Jays held a 1-0 lead. But one precision pass from McKena Argo and one spinning rocket of a shot from Cadence Lugar put Republic on the board and lit a fire under the cold Lady Tigers offense and sparked a 3-1 win.
“That one was pretty important for us,” coach Kevin Hauck said of the win. “We had a couple games this year where we’ve been around the goal and haven’t been able to finish, and the first half started off that way for us. But at halftime, we talked about being patient and calming down and continuing to pursue the goal, and finally we were able to break through.”
Jefferson City had taken the lead in the first half on a free kick by Emily McMillian that floated just over the outstretched arms of Republic goalkeeper Graci Coleman. Republic got several scoring opportunities despite playing into the 20-mile-an-hour wind for the first 40 minutes.
Early in the second half, Republic hit the post once and missed other good scoring chances. As time ticked down, they seemed to get less patient, pressing to get on the board.
Finally, with just under 20 minutes left, Argo and Lugar teamed up for the first score. Argo threaded the ball between defenders from about 25 yards out, finding Lugar inside the top of the box. Lugar took the ball with her back to the goal, swung her left leg around, and powered the ball into the right side of the net to even the score 1-1. (Watch it here.)
“It reminded me a lot of early in the season against Rogersville, when we kept pushing, pushing, pushing, but just wouldn’t calm down and look for those passes,” Hauck said. “Finally, McKena had a great pass to Cadence and Cadence was able to finish with her left foot and that really sparked us moving forward.”
The goal enlivened the Lady Tigers, whose scoring struggles had led to four shutouts in their first six games. They increased the pressure on Jefferson City and broke through again with about 9:30 remaining. Josalyn Weymuth crossed the ball from the right corner, and after Jefferson City keeper Riley McKee punched the ball away, Lugar corralled the rebound. This time, she used her right leg to power the ball into the vacated net, giving Republic the lead for good. (Watch it here.)
From there, the Lady Tigers controlled possession and watched the clock wind down – until one final goal by Aylora Crowe with 12 seconds remaining. Lugar fed Crowe on the run cutting through the middle of the defense, and Crowe slid the ball past McKee to finish the scoring. (Watch it here.)