By John Miller (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Republic, Mo. – For the sixth straight year, the Nixa Eagles are district champions.
Nixa scored a goal three minutes into the match and put it away with two goals late to defeat Republic 3-0 in the Class 4 District 11 championship at Republic High School on Thursday evening.
“It’s a really big accomplishment,” Nixa senior Chloe Cash said. “It feels really good to be a part of such a great program that has had so much success over the years.”
In those six district championship wins, the Eagles have outscored their opposition 17-3. Last year, they blanked Branson 8-0.
“It’s amazing,” Nixa coach Evan Palmer said. “Each one is so special. These girls fought so hard all year, played a tough schedule, and it really helped us for games like this.”
As the top seed and favorite, Nixa had pressure on its side. But three minutes into the match, that pressure disappeared. Lizabeth Davis punched an early goal across, allowing the Eagles to settle in.
“That was huge,” Palmer said. “Whenever you’re the favorite, it’s always good to get that first one across, kind of settle down a little bit. In saying that, we could never get that next one until late.”
The Eagles thought they had the next one 10 minutes later when Madisyn Pritchett collected a miss and sent it in, but the goal was erased due to Pritchett being ruled offsides.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“Because our second goal wasn’t actually a goal, I feel like we were all motivated to show them that we could score again,” Cash said. “It was a big relief to show that we could dominate the game and it wasn’t a 1-0 game.”
Nixa continued to apply pressure on Republic’s backline, and in the 50th minute finally broke through. A strike from Katie Kamies was deflected into the net, giving the Eagles insurance and a 2-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, Chloe Cash found Bailey Reynolds for the put away goal.
Nixa now faces Lee’s Summit West in the sectional round on Tuesday, May 22. They lost to the Titans 4-0 last year in the sectionals.
“Last year, that game was not good,” Cash said. “I think we’re all ready to go out there and show them we can compete with them.”
Added Palmer: “Hopefully we learned some lessons from last year and can find a way against a great team like (them).”
Nixa 3, Republic 0
NHS 1 2 3
RHS 0 0 0
