Maryville captures district crown
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Maryville senior forward Ashton Reuter laces a shot past Excelsior Springs keeper Sydney Shea for the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against the Tigers in Wednesday’s Class 2, District 16 Championship game. Reuter scored both of the Spoofhounds’ goals, one coming off an assist from junior midfielder Mollie Holtman.
Every postseason run has a turning point, a moment when a coach and his players recognize they’ve come to a crossroads that may determine their remaining course.
And, as Maryville girls’ soccer head coach Dale Reuter exclaimed with four minutes remaining in Wednesday’s Class 2, District 16 Championship win, “Now’s the time.”
Behind a pair of goals from senior forward Ashton Reuter and improved possession in the second half, the Spoofhounds knocked off host Excelsior Springs, 2-1.
“We’ve had several in this last little bit (of the season) where we’ve had tough games,” Dale Reuter said. “… When you’re in a prize fight, you’re going to take some punches, and then you’ve got to start delivering.”
The defining moment in the contest came with less than three minutes left and Maryville clinging to its narrow advantage, a split-second that caused some cardiac issues for Dale Reuter. Tigers forward Kelsey Mueller walloped a free kick from 30 yards out that caromed off Hounds junior keeper Kylie Reuter’s chest.
As the rebound rolled free inside the six-yard box, Excelsior Springs forward Trinety Williams’ right foot connected for what was nearly the equalizer. But as the mishit shot streaked past the left upright, the now-district champions exhaled.
“(Williams) had it dead to rights and, I don’t know, she just took the wrong angle on it, I guess,” Dale Reuter said. “That’s why we play the game. You never quit, and they never did. … I don’t think my heart’s gotten back down to the place it needs to be. Sometimes you have those breaks, and sometimes you don’t.”
Ashton Reuter and her teammates worked an advanced possession game in the second half, controlling both space and tempo to wind down the clock. As Williams wound up for the most important shot of the night, the senior forward had faith in the defense that she’s trusted all season.
“I was hoping to God that one of our defenders was going to step in,” Ashton Reuter said. “They did. They took care of business and we kept them out of the goal. We did our job and got out of here.”
Excelsior Springs latched onto the game’s first bit of available momentum in what opened as a physical contest. Forward Josie Rimmer collected a loose ball on the right side of Maryville’s six-yard box and punched it past Kylie Reuter on the near post, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead just 1:10 into the title bout.
Clutching its early lead, Excelsior Springs plodded through the midfield with a majority of possession, utilizing a physical style that was cleaned up as the game carried on.
“To be honest, the refs, at the beginning of the game, I think they let it play a little too much,” Dale Reuter said. “He really stepped up and he came with his ‘A’ game, and he did a great job in settling that down. If that would’ve continued on throughout the game, I’m not sure how well this would’ve went.
“We can take a physical game, but we don’t like the elbows and that sort of thing, and the holding. … But we will rub shoulders with the best of them.”
With 19:33 left in the first half, Maryville knotted the score after junior Mollie Holtman, who dropped back to midfield after the Tigers’ quick goal, punched a through ball inside the teeth of Excelsior Springs’ defense and found Ashton Reuter on a vertical run.
Ashton Reuter took the well-placed pass at her feet and poked it home with the outside of her right foot after a couple touches that drew out Tigers keeper Sydney Shea.
The draw held through halftime and for another 20 minutes to open the second frame as both sides played a possession game, an adjustment from the first half’s counter-filled action.
As the clock dwindled into the final 20 minutes of play, Ashton Reuter won the ball near the top of the 18-yard box from Excelsior Springs defender Teagan Johnson and pounded a left-footed shot on the ground into the right corner of the net for the eventual game-winning goal.
“We were waiting for that chance to get through,” Dale Reuter said. “That’s what you have to do. Soccer games aren’t like football games, you don’t put up 90 points. You have to just keep going and going and going.”
With the lead in hand, Maryville whittled away at the last 19 minutes until it hoisted the district title trophy in front of its bench. Outside of Williams’ open opportunity in the final few minutes, the Tigers saw limited chances at an equalizer.
“Those last 20 minutes, I think we finally calmed down enough,” Ashton Reuter said. “We’ve never played Excelsior before, they’ve never played us. We didn’t know what to expect. The turf was a little bouncy — we’re not used to playing on turf a whole lot. … We finally got it figured out the last 20 minutes and calmed down and started playing our game instead of theirs.”
Following the district title-clinching win, which is a step further than the Spoofhounds (18-2) made it a season ago, they’ll face the Class 2, District 15 champion Tuesday, May 26 at the home field of the District 15 champion. A start time has not been released yet. Moberly and MEC foe Chillicothe square off at 6 p.m. Thursday for the District 15 title to determine Maryville’s next opponent.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
The Maryville girls’ soccer team celebrates its 2-1 Class 2, District 16 victory over Excelsior Springs after the final whistle Wednesday night. Senior forward Ashton Reuter collected both goals.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Spoofhounds junior keeper Kylie Reuter blasts a clearance away from an Excelsior Springs forward in the first half of a 2-1 victory in the Class 2, District 16 Championship game.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Head coach Dale Reuter and the Maryville girls’ soccer team — now the Class 2, District 16 champions — pose with their prize following a 2-1 win against Excelsior Springs.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Junior Mollie Holtman, who switched from her normal forward position to midfield just two minutes into Wednesday’s contest, wins the ball from Excelsior Springs midfielder Kelsey Mueller. Holtman and Maryville captured a 2-1 victory against the Tigers in the Class 2, District 16 Championship.
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Maryville senior midfielder Abby Van de Ven puts a move on an Excelsior Springs defender during Wednesday’s 2-1 victory against the Tigers.
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Spoofhounds junior defender Leah Jasinski rips the ball away from an Excelsior Springs forward Wednesday during a 2-1 victory that required plenty of defensive stops from Maryville’s back line.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Excelsior Springs keeper Sydney Shea slides in to stifle a one-on-one opportunity for Maryville freshman forward Lydia Mitchell. The Spoofhounds captured a 2-1 win in the Class 2, District 16 Championship Wednesday night against the Tigers.
