Ozark scored four first-half goals, including two by Micah Thrasher, to end Republic’s season with a 4-1 district decision Wednesday night.
Thrasher opened the scoring with 36:07 remaining in the first half, then added another goal about 11 minutes later to make it 2-0.
Republic junior Elijah Phiri cut the lead to 2-1 25 seconds after Thrasher’s second goal, giving the Tigers new life. And Will Pinnell and Diego Zuniga each created scoring chances for Republic midway through the first half, before Ozark pulled away.
Defensive miscues by Republic contributed to two more goals for Ozark. Trey Burton stretched the lead to 3-1 with 10:21 remaining, and Brady Schupp made it 4-1 with 4:30 left before halftime.
Neither team scored in the second half.
“Self-inflicted wounds,” said coach Jesus Zuniga. “(We were) communicating, but not always listening. It’s almost like we got a little scared at times.”
The loss ended Republic’s season at 10-16. It was the final high school game for seniors Porter Bollinger, Caleb Miclea, Miles Thomas, and Diego Zuniga.
Despite the disappointment, coach Zuniga noted the seniors’ impact on a young team that started several sophomores.
“I know they left an impact on the group behind them,” he said. “I hear them all saying, ‘Oh, I’ll see you guys do it next year.'”
