Springfield Catholic – 1
Ozark Tigers – 0
Springfield Catholic, coming off of their 0-3 loss to KC Liberty in the snow last weekend, had their eyes opened Wednesday by the surging Ozark Tigers. In a game between two long time rivals that has not changed with Ozark’s move to Class 2, Catholic got past the Tigers on a goal by Tara Bailes. The goal came in stoppage time late in the first half, as Bailes first won the battle for a 50/50 ball deep in the box, then following her initial shot that rang off the near upright, she tracked down the rebound and pushed it past the onrushing defense.
While Bailes won that physical battle, the game itself showed how far the Tigers have come. As freshman Megan Jenisch (#6) noted when asked about the difference between this game and the earlier 0-2 loss, her response “we were more physical, we weren’t intimidated” was right on the mark. Those battles went on across the pitch and as the game wore on, it appeared to me that Ozark was chipping away. Of particular note is the work of Megan Stodden (#17) (pictured, competing with Tara Bailes) who paired with Melissa Hogan and Megan Gunnels in the midfield during the course of the match. As Coach Tod Sundlie noted, she was his player of the match. She was tireless and committed.
In addition, the work of the goalkeepers was superlative. For Catholic, senior Christina Ogden has faced some challenges this year but Wednesday she came up big. In particular, her save in the 47th minute on Megan Jenisch’s shot from the corner of the box that looked like a game-tying goal until Christina moved across and pushed the ball wide. Ozark keeper Paige Hemphill, only a freshman, dove fearlessly into the fray several times and is exhibiting a knowledge of the game that belies her young age. As Catholic Coach Ben Timson noted “Ozark’s keeper (Paige Hempill) made some great saves last night that, in my opinion, made a big difference in the game. She made one on a point blank blast by Anna DeLong midway through the first half that kept us off the board and kept us from gaining momentum.”
With only three weeks remaining in the regular season, teams should have solidified their lineups. Catholic will test themselves against two District opponents soon in Willard and West Plains. Ozark has already beaten Joplin and Nixa, on April 30th they’ll find out how they measure up compared to Kickapoo. Here’s a short video chat I had with Megan Gunnell, Megan Stodden and Megan Jenisch after the game. Do you think they’ll be ready for the next challenge?
Rolla Bulldogs – 4
Parkview Vikings – 0
RHS is now 4-4-1 overall and 2-2-0 OC
