By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After a tough 1-0 semifinal loss to eventual Class 6A state champion Mill Valley on Friday, Washburn Rural soccer ended its ninth straight trip to the 6A Final Four with Saturday's 4-1 win over Centennial League rival Manhattan in the third-place game at the Stryker Complex.
Washburn Rural senior Mackinly Rohn (center) is congratulated by her teammates after scoring the game's first goal in Saturday's 4-1 win over Manhattan in the Class 6A third-place game. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
"Our goal every year is to be in the Final Four and just lay it on the line,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "(Friday night) we played one of the best teams in the state, Mill Valley, and went toe to toe with them. They found a way to get a goal and we didn't. We have nothing to be ashamed of.
"You want to finish your season on a win. We've been lucky enough to come here and win a game each time for a long time. We'll keep knocking on the door and hopefully in the next few years we'll kick it down and get a first place. But I'm proud that they came back today and got a win against our rival."
Senior Mackinly Rohn put Rural (15-5-1) on the board with a goal 15:44 into the game, but Manhattan (12-7-2) knotted it up with 2:19 left in the first half after Kameron Felice scored off a corner kick.
Rural quickly respond, however, regaining the lead with just nine seconds left in the half with a corner of their own as Peyton Merrick scored off an assist from Rohn's kick into the box.
"We gave up a corner kick, which we try not to do,'' Hensyel said. "Then we had about 30 seconds left and Mackinly Rohn smartly put the ball in play and we got one with 10 seconds left.
"That obviously changed the complexion of the game. We have a pretty deep bench and we thought, with the heat and the tough game that both of us had last night, that we could wear them out. I think that's eventually what happened."
Rural went up 3-1 on a goal from Savannah Tuffley with 14:17 left in the match and Kate Hinck added the Junior Blues' final goal a minute and 54 seconds later.
"We had a really good team last year that got to the title game, and we had a great senior class,'' Hensyel said. "I think a lot of people might have thought we were going to take a step back, and we were within a goal of being in the state championship game.
"It was another good season for Washburn Rural, league champs, third place. We'll keep grinding and hopefully we'll break through."
WASHBURN RURAL 4, MANHATTAN 1
Manhattan (12-7-2) 1 0 -- 1
Washburn Rural (15-5-1) 2 2 -- 4
Manhattan -- Goal: Felice.
Washburn Rural -- Goals: Rohn, Merrick, S Tuffley, Hinck. Assist: Rohn.
