By John Miller
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Bolivar Liberators are district champions again.
Locked in a scoreless tie early in the second half, junior Ally Hargis collected a pass, split the defense, and found the net, lifting Bolivar to a 1-0 Class 3 District 11 championship over Willard at Hillcrest High School on Wednesday evening.
SEE PHOTOS FROM WEDNESDAY’S GAME
It’s the second straight district title for the Liberators.
“I saw the ball, I saw the open shot and the goalie coming at me,” Hargis said. “All you have to do is beat her, and then you just swing and you’re in.”
Hargis collected a feed from her teammate, dribbled between defenders, and created a quick window for a goal. Luckily for the Liberators, she maintained her composure and finished.
“You just have to focus on the goal,” Hargis said. “You don’t think about anything else around you. You just focus on getting the ball in that goal. It’s like do or die. You do what you have to do to get it.”
Hargis’ goal came in the 52nd minute and gave the Liberators some relief after numerous great chances were erased by Willard’s defense and goalkeeper Joran Stout-Mitchell.
“We got a lot of good shots,” Bolivar coach Steve Fast said. “The Willard goalie made a few tremendous saves to keep it close. They packed it in there tight and played hard defense, but our girls just kept working the ball. We were relentless at the goal.”
St. Louis University commit Brionna Halverson wreaked havoc at the goal for Willard, constantly challenging the Tigers’ defensive line. In the 22nd minute, she blasted the crossbar. In the 46th, she got tripped up on her way into the goalmouth. In the 65th, after zigzagging around the defense, her shot was left wide. Perhaps Halverson’s best chance came in the 75th, when she split a double team and had a one-on-one chance with Stout-Mitchell. Halverson’s shot was deflected by Stout-Mitchell, landing just outside the posts.
“Bri is a leader whether she scores or not,” Fast said. “It’s unusual for her not to get a goal, but you saw her. She just kept working, she kept encouraging her teammates, she kept instructing on the field. It changes the dynamic because other teams collapse on her and it opens up other girls.”
With its win, Bolivar now makes its second straight appearance in the state sectionals. They’ll face Neosho on Tuesday, May 23rd after Neosho beat Webb City 2-0 in the Class 3 District 12 championship, also played Wednesday.
“We feel like we’ve got a good chance to win that game,” Fast said. “We can play defense and score goals, so I feel like we’ve got a great shot.”
Bolivar 1, Willard 0
Bolivar 0 1 1
Willard 0 0 0
