By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Weather delays and moving from an outdoor field to indoors proved to be little more than an inconvenience for Hayden's soccer team Saturday as the Wildcats wrapped up a perfect season with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in the Class 4A-1A championship game at the Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita.
Hayden soccer celebrates its 1-0 win over Rose Hill in Saturday's Class 4A-1A state championship game at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
After a scoreless first half, Wildcat senior Carsyn Broxterman scored the only goal the Wildcats would need just 1:25 into the second half off an assist from junior Avery Becker and Hayden was able to close out its championship run after finishing second in a double-overtime loss to Bishop Miege a year earlier.
Hayden soccer finished off its undefeated season with a 1-0 win over Rose Hill in Saturday's Class 4A-1A state championship game at Wichita. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
“I haven’t even processed this yet,'' Broxterman said. "I’ve been dreaming about this for so long and when it actually happens, I can't even, I'm just so excited."
Both Hayden and Rose Hill had to deal with sudden change after inclement weather forced the teams to play the championship game inside.
"We were not very excited about that,'' Broxterman said. "But we practiced in here and we were ready for anything. We weren't going to let this take us out at all. We came in and we gave it our best.
“It was very muggy in here. We were sweating a lot, but other than that, I mean, it would have been the same.”
After the scoreless first half and a talk with Wildcat coach Klaus Kreutzer, Hayden had a quick response after the break to get the goal it needed.
“We were all kind of jittery and nervous, like, 'Oh my gosh, this is tied. I don't know what to do,’ '' Broxterman said. “And (Kreuzter) was just kind of like, ‘We're fine. You guys are fine, you're playing fine. Go out there and play your game and you'll be okay.’ ''
After Broxterman's goal Rose Hill turned up its offensive pressure, but the Hayden defense and senior goalkeepers Kadence Watts and Lauren Borjon were able to keep the Rockets out of the net.
“After we scored that goal, they definitely came out stronger,'' Broxterman said. "They definitely wanted it. But I think we really went on lockdown very well. We were covering each other's backs, we were marking our players.
"Even though we didn't have possession, we were really locking down.”
“It's been quite a ride,'' Kreutzer said. "All the credit goes to them. I think they've worked hard the whole season. They've stayed focused, and I think losing in double overtime last year stuck with them. Our seniors showed a lot of great leadership.
"We started a little bit slow tonight. I thought it was a little bit ugly, but at the end of the day, we did persevere.''
Hayden soccer hoists the Class 4A-1A state championship trophy after Saturday's 1-0 win over Rose Hill. [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]
Kreutzer was also proud of the way his team was able to handle the move to the indoor facility.
“The message was we play the same,'' Kreutzer said. "It's the same kind of surface, but with the spectators being so close, the atmosphere is a little bit different, and I think it showed the way we played the first half.
“(The Rockets) were a very good team. They attacked. We watched them on tape and we knew how good they were. They were scary good a couple of times."
Kreutzer said he was pleasantly surprised that the Wildcats were able to go undefeated while playing a challenging schedule.
“I couldn't have imagined it, with the competition we play,'' he said. "We beat last year’s state champ twice. We beat the 6A state champ.
"Going undefeated was never on my radar. Nothing I ever considered. It was pretty amazing for them. They did all the work.”
