By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
On April 8, the Willard Lady Tigers concluded a three-match gauntlet with a hard-fought 2-0 road loss at Nixa. It was Willard’s third straight defeat.
But after watching his team’s performance that night, head coach Jamie Waddell made a bold proclamation in the postgame huddle.
“I told the kids after that (Nixa) game, ‘If you play the way you just played, I don’t know if you lose another game the rest of the regular season,’” he said.
That prophecy has come true over the last four weeks, with about two weeks to go.
Willard earned its 12th straight win Monday afternoon, beating rival Republic 2-0 at home in a COC-West Division showdown.
The Lady Tigers (15-4-1 overall, 4-0 COC-West) have won 12 straight since dropping consecutive matches to Kickapoo, Ozark and Nixa in early April. Included in the winning streak was a 2-1 double-overtime win at Glendale on April 21.
“So far, we’ve handled the challenge well. Hopefully we can continue to buy-in and believe,” Waddell said.
After a scoreless first half, Willard broke through with a goal in the 56th minute. Senior and leading scorer Katelyn Magee sent a crosser to sophomore wing Kallie Reiber, who calmly put through her 10th goal of the season.
“It was all thanks to Katelyn,” Reiber said. “She saw me making my run across the field. She just played the perfect ball – it was just outside of the goalie’s reach – and luckily, I was there.
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“I’ve been working on being there, in the right spot. A lot of my mistakes are not being there. I’m really thankful that I was.”
Reiber was twice denied on would-be goal opportunities minutes earlier. Republic’s defense, led by junior goalkeeper Awbree Berning, entered the match with nine shutouts this season. Berning already owns program records for career shutouts and wins.
“(Reiber) had two other opportunities right before that, just was unable to put it in the back of the net,” Waddell said. “Glad to see she was able to step up there and put the potential game-winner through. She’s worked so hard to be in those positions and finally was able to come through. That was nice to see.”
Said Reiber: “I try to keep it out of the goalie’s reach, but every time I do, it misses the goal or finds the goalie. I was getting kind of frustrated. I was trying to keep my head up and find the back of the net.”
Magee, who recently became Willard’s career goals leader, sealed the victory with a goal in the 72nd minute. She now has 39 on the season and needs 13 more to surpass Jada Holloman’s single-season goals record (51).
“With Katelyn’s speed and ability, people isolate on her,” Waddell said. “Republic man-marked her today. Katelyn took some defenders with her, which opened things up for other people.”
Republic (12-7 overall, 3-1 COC-West) lost for just the second time in 10 matches. The Lady Tigers picked up an impressive 2-0 home win over Rock Bridge (11-3 overall) on Saturday.
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“(Willard) knows their strengths; they know their talents. They use them very well,” said Republic coach Jesus Zuniga. “This is probably one of the best Willard teams I’ve seen in a long time. Everyone says to mark Katelyn, but they have other options like (Reiber) who can hurt you, too.”
Late in the match, Berning was shaken up after colliding with Magee on a 1-v-1 run. Both players stayed in the match. Republic plays two more games this week: Carthage at home on Tuesday and a trip to Rolla on Friday.
“Today was a game that a lot of our players really wanted,” Zuniga said. “Their preseason goal was to win the COC-West. Hopefully this just sparks more of a fire in us and helps us get hot before the postseason.”
Willard has four games left in the regular season, including divisional matches against Joplin (May 6) and Carthage (May 13). Victories over both would give Willard an outright COC-West title.
With Monday’s result, the Lady Tigers have also posted shutouts in 10 of their 20 matches this season. Junior Harper Floyd, a first-year starter at goalkeeper, anchors the defense.
“I always tell our kids, ‘I don’t care what the Willard score says as long as there’s a zero on the other side,’” Waddell said. “Defensively, we’ve done a great job.”