Republic opened the Kickapoo Shootout with a 3-1 win over Rogersville at Kickapoo High School in Springfield on Thursday morning. It’s the fourth consecutive win for Republic, which improved to 7-5.
The Lady Tigers built a 2-0 lead in the first half behind two goals from Claire Redman. Her first came with 9:17 left before halftime, and she added another with 3:45 remaining in the period.
When Rogersville’s Maddie Lou Shuburte cut the lead to 2-1 early in the second half, Republic responded almost immediately. Cadence Lugar found the net just 69 seconds later to restore Republic’s two-goal advantage.
“I told them at halftime, 2-0 is an awful lead to have, because if (Rogersville) gets the next one, they have the momentum,” said coach Jesus Zuniga. “The fact that they responded quickly, and the way they were able to do it, just moving the ball and not forcing it, (was important). It was huge, it killed their momentum going forward.”
Zuniga made tactical adjustments for the match, including moving Emma Hoodenpyle into a more attacking role.
“We just switched formation a little bit. Hoodie played more up in the attack today, which was different because she’s been playing defense,” Zuniga said. “I saw we could probably attack them with a little more pace, and Hoodie’s got that, and she was familiar with playing on the wing last year, so we used that to our advantage.”
Republic outshot Rogersville 9-8 for the game.
The Lady Tigers play Harrison, Ark., Friday evening.
