A competitive game came unraveled early in the second half when Kickapoo scored four quick goals in succession, leading to an 8-0 season-ending loss for Republic in the district semifinals. Kickapoo had led 2-0 at halftime, but a flurry of scoring put the game away, ending Republic’s season at 9-15.
Coach Kevin Hauck, leading the team for the last time as he heads into a new job as an assistant principal next year, said he told his team he remained proud of them for their improvement this season.
“We got better as the season went on. We came into the season really young, with a lot of inexperience at the varsity level and a lot of learning to do. I thought we did a really nice job of that,” he said. “The record wasn’t great, and the last game of the season wasn’t good either, but there were a lot of positives for us throughout the season. I thought a lot of the girls took steps in the right direction. I told them to continue to work and improve and be ready for next year.”
Republic had won its last game of the regular season against Springfield Central, 6-1. The Lady Tigers followed that up with a 2-1 win over Carthage Saturday in the district quarterfinals before falling to Kickapoo.
The game was the last in a Republic uniform for seniors Emma Jaquess, Kathryn Flippin, Yelayna Jakes, Graci Coleman, Ashlyn Leonard, Erin Brown, and Alexis Collins-Irvin.
As the clock wound down on the season and Hauck’s coaching career, he said he thought about what the boys and girls soccer programs have accomplished during his seven years at the helm.
“I feel like we accomplished a lot since I’ve been here, and so that was the main thing going through my mind,” he said. “It was a good seven years here. I thought we did a lot of good things. I think both programs are going in the right direction, and so I’m just really happy about that.”
Hauck finishes the season with 302 career coaching wins. Among his accomplishments, he took the boys soccer team to its first-ever final four in 2017, finishing third.
