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4. Meet, Defeat, Repeat: West completes drive for five with state finals win over Seven Lakes
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
GEORGETOWN -- A regulation varsity soccer match is 80 minutes long.
Yet it was one minute that made all the difference Saturday as Plano West (23-3-4) defeated Katy Seven Lakes (23-4-3), 1-0, to capture its fifth Class 5A State Championship and first since 2007.
"It didn't even hit me until there was about 10 seconds left," said Carley Phillips, West head coach, who won a state title as a player for the Lady Wolves 10 years ago. "I don't even know how to describe this ... it's an amazing feeling, really special."
West controlled the first 15 minutes of the Class 5A State Finals from Birkelbach Field, thanks in part to its physicality, but early attempts from senior Logan Beal and junior Casie Ramsier were stymied. Those two would combine forces in the 19th minute with Casie passing the ball into the box to an open Beal.
"I knew if I could get it to [Beal], she could score," Casie said.
Beal had similar aspirations at first.
"I was coming in and I was open, but I had a bad angle," Beal said. "Then I saw [junior Brooke Ramsier] and I knew my girl wouldn't miss."
Beal was right as she passed to Brooke, who tickled the twine from 8 yards to make it 1-0 with 21:46 to go in the half.
"It felt like that was the one goal we needed to really get going," Brooke said.
It was actually the one goal Seven Lakes needed to really get going as the Lady Spartans set up a 1 v. 1 within the next 20 seconds with Rachel Arthur charging toward West junior keeper Claire Wheatley.
"The first five minutes after a goal are always the most dangerous," said Wheatley, an all-tournament selection. "I saw her coming at me and I went for the ball."
And much like Wheatley had done throughout the shootout in the Region I Finals against Flower Mound Marcus, she came off her line and broke up the attempt to keep West's 1-0 advantage intact.
"After that save I was just like, 'Oh Claire, I love you, I love you, I love you,'" Brooke said. "What a rush of relief."
West junior defender Taylor Jackson was quick to agree.
"That save by Claire was so huge," she said. "I think we let our guard down a bit after the goal, but that snapped it back really quickly."
That reflected in the run of play as West reasserted itself over the final 20 minutes of the half with good looks from seniors Karson Keogh, Natalie Gibson and freshman Nicole Smith. None of those opportunities was successful, but the Lady Wolves maintained a 1-0 lead at the break.
The first 10 minutes of the second half looked much like the first with Smith, Beal and sophomore Tori Gates getting attempts on frame. Seven Lakes keeper Kylie Hambleton was there each time though, including a save on a 21-yard shot from Gates in the 50th minute and a stop on a 38-yard free kick by Keogh in the 67th minute. Gates and Keogh were both all-tournament selections.
Hambleton's saves seemed to flip the switch for the Lady Spartans, who then took control of play for the first prolonged period of the day.
"Seven Lakes stepped up and really threw a lot at us," Phillips said, "but our defense held strong."
Jackson, Keogh, juniors Sparky Fischer and Midori Rinkliff continually curbed Seven Lakes' counter attacks and prevented any sustained runs by the Lady Spartans from getting past the top of the West box.
"The defense really did an amazing job," Wheatley said.
Wheatley was pushed into action multiple times over the final 10 minutes, but the best opportunity either team had in that span came when Hambleton saved a shot from Gates in the 78th minute. Seven Lakes wouldn't offensively possess the ball past midfield again as the clock ticked down, albeit somewhat slower than usual due to curious official stoppages during Lady Wolves' substitutions.
"Yeah, I'll have to talk to the UIL about that," Phillips said with a laugh.
That only served to slow the inevitable as the clock hit zero and West had a 1-0 win.
"I was so relieved and excited," Fischer said, "I just started jumping up and down."
"Finally we can celebrate," Casie added.
For scoring the lone goal of the finals and being a continual catalyst for West advancing the ball up the field, Brooke was named State Finals MVP and picked for the all-tournament team.
"It's hard to explain," she said of the honor and state title. "This is just such an awesome feeling."
The victory upped West's all-time record to 10-1 in the state tournament and represented a record fifth UIL State Girls Soccer Championship.
"I still can't even describe what I'm feeling right now," Jackson said as tears began to trickle down her face. "This is really like a dream."
But as the gold medals around the necks of the players, coaches and training staff signified, what happened Saturday and throughout the 2012 season was very real.
"We wanted to win state so badly; I've never wanted anything more," Wheatley said. "We knew we didn't want our season to end, we wanted to finish it."
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