By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
DE SOTO -- On Friday, Hayden's state championship hopes were halted by powerhouse Bishop Miege, but on Saturday, the Wildcats' girls soccer team was able to end its season on a high note with a 2-0 shutout win in the Class 4-1A state tournament, claiming third place against Baldwin.
Hayden hoists the Class 4A-1A third-place trophy Saturday at De Soto after beating Baldwin, 4-0. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Hayden senior Sloane Sims (5) scored the only goal the Wildcats would need in Saturday's 2-0 win over Balwin in the Class 4A-1A third-place game. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Hayden junior Jill Lenherr (10) scored the Wildcats' second goals in a 2-0 win over Baldwin in Saturday's Class 4A-1A third-place game. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
On some occasions, teams playing in a third-place game come out on the pitch a little sluggish, but Hayden was on top of its game despite battling the heartache of a loss the night before against Miege for its third-place victory on Saturday.
After Hayden's 4-1 loss to Bishop Miege on Friday, Hayden coach Klaus Kreutzer confirmed that they would play the six-time defending 4-1A state champion next season in the regular season. Kreutzer is confident in what he saw with his younger players and is excited to play Miege in the 2024 season.
Hayden (12-6-2) has had a potent mix of upper, first- and second-year students, making the 2023 campaign a success.
"The season was very exciting," Kreutzer said. "It was exciting with our six seniors and seven freshmen. The mix of our younger players and older players worked out well. Often times that doesn't happen. But this team was special, and it was a good trip."
In the third-place match, Hayden matched up well with non-conference opponent Baldwin. On March 27th, the Wildcats shut out Baldwin (14-7-0) at Hayden, 4-0.
While goals weren't as easy to come by as they were in that late March contest against the Bulldogs, the Wildcat midfield and backline again dominated.
Baldwin could only get three shots off against Hayden's strong defense in the first half. Hayden's offense attacked Baldwin with 14 shots in the first half, with one goal coming from it.
The goal came from senior forward Sloane Sims at the 22:11 mark. Junior Mary Burenheide delivered a slick crosser from the far left corner of the field into Sims' knee. Sims bounced the ball upwards and collected it at her feet; once it fell, she shot a strike to the back of the net to give Hayden a 1-0 lead.
Baldwin's defense would lock Hayden's strong offensive attack for the remainder of the half, keeping it a tight one-goal contest.
Baldwin and Hayden's imposing defense and traffic-clearing backlines were the stories of the way the second half played out.
Hayden would finally find another goal for themselves in crunch time in the second half to secure its state tournament victory.
At the 8:21 mark, senior midfielder Briahna Barnett struck a crosser to junior forward Jill Lenherr. Lenherr avoided a diving Baldwin goalkeeper and knocked it in to give Hayden a sizeable 2-0 lead with little time left.
Lenherr's goal sealed the deal for the Wildcats, and Hayden would leave De Soto with some hardware in the 4-1A third-place game.
The future is bright for Hayden's girls' soccer team. Standout juniors will return as crucial components for a senior-led group next season, while some freshmen that made heavy contributions to the team will be back with a year of experience under their belts.
"You're only going to get better by playing good teams," Kreutzer said. "I liked the work ethic of our younger players. They've shown to be very skilled this season. You can only be a good coach with good players, and I think we have some here."
Seniors Noelia Cruz, Catherine Doyle, Piper Wrench, Jenessa Broxterman, Sims, and Barnett depart with graduation.
HAYDEN 2, BALDWIN CITY 0
Hayden (12-6-2) 1 1 – 2
Baldwin (14-7-0) 0 0 – 0
Hayden -- Goals: Sims, Lenherr. Assists: Burenheide, Barnett. Shutout: Borjon, Watts.
