By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post
Hays 2, Mulvane 1 3OT
MULVANE, Kan.-It took exactly 104 minutes and 35 seconds for the Hays High Lady Indian soccer team to prevail in their 4-1A Central/South Central Region #2 Championship game on Thursday evening in Mulvane. Things did not start off so well for Hays as Mulvane scored in the 11th minute off of a right side shot that hit the cross bar and came straight down and into to the goal for a 1-0 Lady Wildcat lead. That would be the only goal the home team would score.
Hays High was able to tie the game in the 35th minute when Kamryn Schoenberger was able to knock home a rebound off a near miss from Sophie Humphrey to make the score 1-1. The score would remain that way through regulation and the first two overtimes as the two teams battled heat and exhaustion throughout the evening with temperatures pushing the upper 80’s all game long.
Regulation was not sufficient enough time to settle this playoff battle as the two teams played through two 10-minute overtime periods and the score remained tied heading to the third overtime that would only be five minutes long. That is when Hays Head Coach Silas Hibbs made a strategic move that changed the outcome of the contest and the season. At the start of the third overtime Hibbs took goalie Isabel Robben out of goal and moved her to the front line to provide a pair of fresh legs for an offensive push.
It paid enormous dividends for the Lady Indians. With under a minute to go Robben was able to beat a pair of Mulvane defenders to a 50-50 ball in the middle of the field. As she broke free it forced the Wildcat goalie to come out of the net to try and force what would have been a difficult stop. Robben was then able to punch the ball by the goalie and into the net for the golden goal and game winner with only 25 seconds remaining.
Hays High improves to 11-6-1 on the season. With the win they also advance to the 4-1A State Quarterfinals where they will meet up with McPherson on Tuesday night at 6pm at McPherson College.
SILAS HIBBS INTERVIEW