By Rich Brown
rbrown@joplinglobe.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — If there were such a thing as a team hat trick, No. 1 seeded Kickapoo High School pulled it off Thursday in the Class 2 District 12 girls soccer championship against third-seeded Joplin.
Eagles fans may have been thinking “deja vu, Kickapoo,” as the clock wound down on a 2-1 Chiefs victory. Oddly enough, a 2-1 score mirrors the outcome between the same two opponents in the district’s title game the past three years.
Senior forward Jessica Baker, who scored Joplin’s only goal with 12 minutes remaining, said even though the Eagles lost, she was pleased with their progress in getting to that point.
“We had a drought in the middle of the season when we didn’t win a lot of games, but we picked it up at the end when it really counted,” she said. “We beat Kickapoo earlier this season, but the last three years in the district championship, they have won 2-1.”
The Chiefs (14-8-1) began the game strong on offense, with the first goal coming from Paige Blotter at the 4-minute mark. She booted a 20-footer down the middle that Eagle goalie Randi Russell couldn’t touch.
Abby Anderson, with an assist from Katy McLain, collected Kickapoo’s final goal with five minutes to go in the first half to give the Chiefs a 2-0 advantage at intermission.
“We played with good intensity,” Kickapoo coach Tom Davidson said. “When we were in Joplin a month or so ago, we did not have that intensity and lost.”
The Eagles were in good scoring position throughout the game and even had a chance to tie on two occasions late in the contest. Joplin held the advantage in shots on goal 13-8.
“We gave ourselves opportunities to win and we just couldn’t do it,” Joplin coach Ed Miller said. “But I am proud of our effort. Our girls stepped up this week in district and played great all week long.”
The Eagles kept Kickapoo goalie Jessica McCutcheon busy. She had 12 saves, seven coming in the second half.
Joplin goalie Randi Russell countered with seven saves.
Joplin (13-10-1) upset No. 2 seed Ozark on Tuesday to earn its third straight trip to the final.
The Chiefs, who lost to St. Louis Lafayette in the 2006 state quarterfinals, advance to the sectionals at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cooper Soccer Complex in Springfield against the District 11 winner — either Rolla or Lebanon.
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