Ahead of the Class 3 District 8 Championship Game, 10 of the previous 11 matchups – including the last five – between the Platte County girls’ soccer team (22-4) and Smithville (23-3) were decided by one goal, so it was inevitable for the postseason contest to go down to the wire at Van Horn High School on May 19.
Platte County’s Addison Bradley (#9) and Hannah Stone (#6) show their emotion after falling 1-0 to Smithville in the Class 3 District 8 Championship Game on May 19.
In the latest addition of the Blue Division rivalry, the top-seeded Warriors took down No. 2 seeded Pirates 1-0 as the only score of the day was an own goal by Platte County. In the 23rd minute of the district championship, Triton Davey tried to deflect a Smithville shot attempt with a headbutt, but the ball went the wrong direction and slipped through the net for the first – and only – score of the night.
“I mean, it’s frustrating but why’s the ball on our end,” Platte County head soccer coach Ashlyn Brantley said. “It’s got to go through the whole team before it even gets back there, so those types of situations you hate to give up and especially in these types of games.”
The Pirates put themselves in scoring position multiple times throughout the night but were unable to connect with a goal. Platte County turned on the burners late, attempting six shots in the final nine minutes.
Riley Smith started the urgent sequence when the senior had back-to-back shots on goal in the 71st minute. Smith also had two more chances at 77’ and 78’ and Alex Beeman had a good look in the 77th minute.
“We had some chances late and we even had some early on the goal line in the first half too. Sometimes it works our way, sometimes it doesn’t, and today it didn’t,” Brantley said.
Platte County also had one last opportunity with a corner kick with 30 seconds on the clock, but it was unable to convert on a score. The Warriors came out as the victor, giving the Pirates three of their four losses on the season.
“There are mental and physical barriers that I’ll have to break down and I think we did, but it just didn’t go our way today. We can prepare as much as we can prepare, but we have seen them three times, so it is nothing new; we know each other’s flaws and strengths,” Brantley said.
Platte County had five seniors this season: Aleah Dixon, Hannah Stone, Paige Chase, Smith and Davey. The Pirate senior class helped lead the team to 46 wins in the last two seasons, including a trip to the Class 3 State Quarterfinals last spring.
“Our underclassmen are going to have some big shoes to fill. All these seniors mean something special to us, they’ve laid a foundation in this program, and they are going to be missed. There are some gaps that are going to have to be filled in those positions and I think the younger classmen that we have coming in – and even the ones that were out here playing this season – have definitely showed us they are ready to step up,” Brantley said.