The Gibson Southern Lady Titan soccer team was back in action for the Sectional Semifinal against Reitz Memorial on Oct. 5, at the Sectional host site, Heritage Hills. This was the game the Lady Titans were waiting for all year, as evident from their chant “Beat Memorial!” when they would break their huddles. Gibson Southern had a record of 16-0-1 going into the game, and the Lady Tigers were 12-6 on the season. This game determined who moved on to the Sectional Finals.
“Our game plan was no different than other games,” head coach Sylvia Sellers said. “We just emphasized our man-marking defense.”
The Lady Titans had the Lady Tigers in their sights, having practice the day before. Sellers wanted to be sure the girls were ready for anything Memorial brought to the pitch.
“During that practice, everyone knew how hard the next game would be, and everyone was very focused with the same goal,” senior Claire Higginbotham said.
The first and second half were scoreless for both teams, forcing the game into overtime.
“We played tough, and we played with intensity, but we also played a little chaotic in the first half,” Sellers said.
“Both teams were playing hard and wanted to win, so the defense from both teams were doing everything they could to prevent the other team from scoring,” senior Ella Jones said.
Seven minutes of first overtime passed, and the score was still tied at zero.
“I told them ‘Seven more minutes,’” Sellers said.
In the second overtime, junior Lady Tiger Abby Price passed to freshman Caringtyn Sturgeon for a goal, giving Memorial the 1-0 advantage.
“After the Memorial score, I knew that our team wouldn’t give up until the end, even though there was not much time left, and that’s exactly what they did,” Higginbotham said. “Everyone gave it everything they had until the whistle blew.”
The Lady Titans’ lossless season ended in a game they knew would be difficult. Going into overtime with a score of 0-0, this Semifinal tested the two teams to their breaking points.
“Unfortunately there are no breaks between overtime periods, and we lost our momentum going into the second overtime,” Sellers said. “I’m very proud of their performance.”
Memorial went on to win the class 2A Sectional 32 against Boonville, 5-0, and will be playing SIlver Creek on Thursday, Oct. 12.
In the first round of Sectional play, the Lady Titans won 9-0 against the Mount Vernon Wildcats.
“The Mount Vernon game went well,” Higginbotham said. “As a team, we connected and communicated very well and improved a lot since the last time we played them in the regular season.”
