Harrisburg defeated Rapid City Stevens 5-0 on Saturday afternoon in Yankton for the ‘AA’ girls state soccer championship. This is the third straight year the Tigers have won it.
The match remained tied through most of the first half until Nyah Aware broke the scoring drought for Harrisburg with 2:29 to play until the break.
In the second half, it was all Tigers. Claire Backstrom hit a long free kick goal within the first two-minutes, and then midway through the half, Auburn Backstrom scored twice in the span of 80-seconds. Rylee Gallagher would give Harrisburg one more goal within the final 12-minutes to put a bow on the victory.
“We really emphasized that we stay consistent this whole entire game. We knew that we could continue the attacks and attacks, and finds those gaps,” explained Tigers head coach Hailee Fischer. “Look for finishes on nets, and that’s what we did and I’m really proud of the girls for following through with what we’ve talked about.”
This is Fischer’s first year as head coach for Harrisburg. She was an assistant on Eric Christensen’s staff, so she was familiar with the girls and program before jumping into the head coaching spot.
“I’m just so proud of this team. It means so much to me, because these girls, I just love them so much. I see myself in them a little bit too, and I want the best for them,” she said. “I just hope to continue building this program, but also just being somebody that loves them and is there for them their whole life as well.”
Auburn Barrett finished the game with two goals and offensive player of the game honors for Harrisburg. She spoke about her scoring opportunities following the match.
“I don’t really remember how it happened, but I just know I saw an open shot and knew I had to take it,” stated Barrett. “We just really hoped to get another win again, to make history.”
Adelaide Budig was named the defensive player of the game. She spoke about her strategy on protecting the other side of the field.
“I just go wherever my center backs tell me and if I see someone pick up their head, look to pass it forward, I try to shut them down as fast as I can,” Budig explained. “I’m just there to help my defenders. It’s amazing. I’ve spent the last five years on a high school team. Third one’s the charm, and I wouldn’t want it with any other team besides these girls, so I’m very proud of all of them.”
Harrisburg will graduate eight seniors from this year’s squad. Over the last three years, they’ve only lost two matches. Their 2024 campaign ends with an undefeated season and a state championship.
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