A strong start and strong finish propelled victories for the Durant girls while the boys squad dropped narrow losses to close the soccer regular season last week.
The Lady Lions posted a crucial 3-0 win against McAlester and then turned away Shawnee, 4-1, to close out District 5A-4 play in fourth place and punch their ticket back to the soccer playoffs with an 8-4 record. They’ll travel to Claremore in the opening round next week.
Durant’s boys continued strong defensive play but couldn’t get enough offensive production in a 2-1 loss to McAlester and 2-1 overtime defeat against Shawnee.
Girls
Consistency was the story of the must-win McAlester contest as Durant scored the only goal it would need on a Marigold Moore penalty kick with roughly five minutes gone. J.J. Patten added to the lead off a Riley Standifer assist on a through ball to carry a 2-0 edge to halftime.
Moore tacked on another goal from a Mia Ibarra assist after intermission for the final goal of the night. Maggie Martens pitched in two saves while Kadie Metcalf chipped in four stops as they split time in the DHS goal.
A late start due to weather caught Durant napping against Shawnee as the Lady Wolves tallied a goal less than two minutes into the contest.
Kamryn White immediately answered by taking a pass off the ensuing kickoff to drive all the way to the goal for the shot.
The Lady Lions turned it on from there as White chipped in another goal while Patten and Kira Hoffman chipped in one apiece. Kirsten Collins, Ibarra and Katelyn Mauck all chipped in one assist.
Boys
The Lions sported a 1-0 halftime advantage against McAlester on a goal from Joseph Flores but couldn’t hold on after a pair of Buffalo tallies after intermission.
In the Senior Night finale, it was a heartbreaker for the Lions after battling toe to toe in a scoreless opening half.
The Wolves took the lead with a goal early in the second half but less than a minute later Flores tied it up by punching one into the back of the McAlester net. Durant goalkeeper Leland Hardwick came through with a huge stop on a Shawnee penalty kick later in the half to keep it knotted up and force the extra frame.
After battling back and forth the Wolves caught the Lions on their heels late in the overtime period and knocked one through with roughly two minutes remaining to win it.
“We played well enough to win, but it just didn’t work out for us,” head coach John Wilmoth commented. “I really feel bad for the seniors. We would have loved to send them out with a victory. We are definitely going to miss them.”