Glendale’s Kaitlyn Burri scored the go-ahead goal with 11:06 left to play as the Lady Falcons defeated Republic 2-1 Tuesday night in Springfield.
Republic, off to its first 3-0 start since 2015, has never beaten Glendale in 10 meetings. The Lady Falcons have won an average of 19 games over the past three seasons and outscored Republic 17-1 in their last three meetings. But it was a different story Tuesday, with Republic’s rock-solid back line holding Glendale in check and the rest of the team generating enough scoring threats to keep the pressure on the Lady Falcons’ defense.
Molly Blades assisted Adison Gibbs on a goal with 11:26 left in the first half to give Republic a 1-0 lead. Blades received a pass from Cadence Lugar on a run up the right side, got ahead of the defense, and slid the ball left to Gibbs for the finish.
Glendale’s Charlie Wistrom scored on a header off a corner kick from Caroline Carr with about two minutes left in the first half to tie the game 1-1.
Republic goalkeeper Awbree Berning was injured in the first half but stayed in the game. Gibbs, with limited experience as a goalkeeper, took over in goal for the second half and made several saves to keep the game close. Gibbs accomplished the rare feat of recording a goal and at least one save in the same game.
“(I’m) very proud of our girls and the team for people stepping up in positions that maybe they’re not familiar with,” Republic coach Jesus Zuniga said. “We learned that we can hang with some really good teams if we contest shots and try to control the tempo.”
Zuniga said the loss could benefit his team in the long run. “It’s too early to not take anything away from this, but we also know that we have a long season and sometimes a step backwards is a step forwards.”