High school girls' soccer: Rowland Hall defeats St. Joseph to win back-to-back 2A titles

 High school girls' soccer: Rowland Hall defeats St. Joseph to win back-to-back 2A titles

There was a period when Rowland Hall was the undisputed leader in 2A year after year.

Then, in 2021, a five-year title run was broken. Rowland Hall returned to the top in 2022, but with Bobby Kennedy as head coach again this year, it was unclear whether the Winged Lions were prepared to maintain that position.

That query was addressed on Saturday night.

The No. 2 Winged Lions secured back-to-back 2A state titles with a dramatic 4-3 victory against No. 5 St. Joseph as senior Zackrie Smith ended her career with Rowland Hall in the finest manner imaginable.

Smith replied, "We're renowned for winning. Rowland Hall will forever be the greatest. We like winning state championship after state championship.

Smith scored 52 goals and contributed 17 assists in her last year of high school.

Championship soccer matches are often characterized by defensive dominance, whether on purpose or just due to the tension of the moment, but Kennedy said that with the Winged Lions, "that's not in their DNA."

He answered, "I wish it was." "I wish we could be a little bit more responsible on defense, but it wasn't something I could teach them, so I knew it had been going to be a little bit like a lacrosse or hockey score," the team said.

On Saturday, both sides scored in the first 10 minutes of the game. Sofie Evans of St. Joseph scored the game's first goal for the Jayhawks after turning at the top of the penalty box and firing a shot over the goalie's head.

Rowland Hall was energised by the goal, and the Winged Lions swiftly applied pressure to the Jayhawks defense. Paige Connery was awarded a penalty kick in the ninth minute, and she successfully converted it to draw the game.

The Rowland Hall defense tightened its grip on the offensive pressure and stayed in St. Joseph's backfield for the most of the remaining minutes of the first half, giving the Jayhawks little opportunities.

Cicily Flores of the Jayhawks made a number of saves, but the Winged Lions eventually had their chance when Maya Eisner sent a cross right to left to Smith that almost missed a defender's extended foot.

Smith made the kick, giving Rowland Hall a 2-1 lead that it carried into halftime with only a charging Flores to overcome.

The first ten minutes of the second half were spent on the field in a shootout. From the first kick of the half, Rowland Hall immediately increased the pressure.

In the 52nd minute, Connery seized control of the ball, advanced down field, and crossed right, setting up Eisner for a goal with a pass into the goal box.

Evans scored her 30th goal of the year just inside the penalty area as St. Joseph rallied after falling down 3-1.

Smith, however, got the ball and made a shot in less than 30 seconds after getting past the defense. Flores stopped it, but as nobody was there to recover, Smith pounced on the opportunity, sprinted across, and buried it into the empty goal to give Rowland Hall a 4-2 edge.

We've always been an offensive-minded squad from the beginning of our season, Smith said. "Our reputation for defense is poor. We just push on. We score goals and prevail.

Ten minutes remained, and Rowland Hall continued to put pressure on St. Joseph's defense. However, in the 72nd minute, Jayhawk forward Abbie Gough, the team's leading scorer, managed to break free and score an unassisted goal from the left side of the box of penalties for her 40th goal of the year.

The little 2A-sized supporter sections yelled in support the rest of the way, making the last eight minutes an amazing delight for both teams. Despite their best efforts, the Jayhawks were unable to go any closer as Rowland Hall salted away the remaining minutes and Gough's second attempt was saved.

The Winged Lions have historically dominated 2A, and this season was no exception. However, with five seniors graduating and St. Joseph's bringing back both Gough and Evans, there is a good chance that the two teams will face off again in 2024.

Is Rowland Hall really back?

Kennedy said, "Good question," with a grin.