American Heritage and Waterford advanced to the 2A championship game on Thursday, winning their semifinal matches over St. Joseph and Rowland Hall, respectively.
Here’s a look at what happened in both games.
American Heritage advanced to the 2A state championship game with a 2-0 victory over St. Joseph on Thursday afternoon.
For more than 60 minutes the Patriots and Jayhawks were locked in a scoreless battle, but Ada Werner and Sadie Stratton delivered two goals in quick succession to turn the tide.
“The girls were very nervous. Such a mental game. After we talked about how the first half went and cleaned up what we were doing, they were able to lock in and execute,” said American Heritage coach Eleonor Stafford.
In the second half, American Heritage began applying steady pressure on the Jayhawks’ defense, launching several low-threat shots that gradually grew more dangerous.
In the 61st minute, Werner broke the deadlock when she found space just inside the top of the box. She maneuvered past two defenders and unleashed a shot that sailed into the top-right corner, out of the goalie’s reach.
“I saw nobody was open, so I took it person by person and then hit towards the far post and was so ecstatic when I felt it come off my foot,” Werner said.
Moments later, Aurie Pack sparked a counterattack, driving deep into the corner. She slipped the ball through the defender’s legs and delivered a perfect cross to Stratton, who coolly angled the ball into the net, doubling the Patriots’ lead.
“It is so important to add another goal,” Pack said. “1-0 is such a dangerous score. You always want to keep getting more goals,” Pack said.
Although St. Joseph’s Jaci Coles cut the deficit to 2-1 in the final minutes, the Jayhawks couldn’t generate a game-tying threat.
In the second semifinal of the day, Waterford secured a 3-0 victory over Rowland Hall.
The Ravens took control early, with Grace Morris delivering a stunning free kick in the 10th minute from just outside the right corner of the box.
Her well-placed shot dropped sharply into the back of the net, giving Waterford the lead.
Rather than sitting back, Waterford kept the pressure on throughout the first half, though the Ravens couldn’t extend their advantage before the break.
“It is really important to stay up there and keep that game pressure up the whole game. We try and not look at the scoreboard too much and just play our game,” Morris said.
Waterford added a second goal early in the second half when Milana Massinople scored directly off a corner kick—a rare Olympico goal from the left corner — and the Ravens’ second goal from a set piece.
“The difference tonight was our girls’ confidence. I let them choose who is going to take our set pieces because they are going to step up and hit and find exactly what we need. Seeing them be confident and find the back of the net is great,” said Waterford coach Kimi Miyashima.
Having fallen to Rowland Hall in the semifinals in the past two years, Waterford finally exacted its revenge to advance to the state championship.
This will be the first trip to the final for American Heritage, which defeated Waterford 2-1 earlier this month.
