By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
OK, so it may have lacked the overall drama of Babe Ruth's legendary called shot in the 1932 World Series, but Josie Boyle did a pretty good imitation for Washburn University soccer in Sunday's 1-0 Senior Day win by the No. 20-ranked Ichabods over No. 15-ranked and previously-unbeaten Missouri Western at Yager Stadium.
Washburn senior Josie Boyle (middle) is mobbed by her Ichabod teammates after scoring the game-winning goal in Sunday's 1-0 win over No. 15 Missouri Western. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Josie Boyle (left) exchanges a hug with Aubrey Tanksley (9) and Jordan Tenpas after scoring Sunday's game-winning goal off a Tanksley corner kick. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Boyle, a senior defender, gathered in a corner kick from junior Aubrey Tanksley and buried it in the net with 11:19 remaining for the game's only goal as the Ichabods improved 12-3-2 overall and 9-1-1 in the MIAA while dropping the Griffons to 14-1-3 and 9-1-2 in the conference.
Washburn's win prevented Missouri Western from clinching the MIAA title while opening the door for the Ichabods to repeat as the conference champ. WU will close out its regular season at Emporia State on Wednesday (1 p.m.) and can earn the conference outright wth a win or take a share of the championship with a tie.
Boyle's second goal of the season and the third of her Washburn career made that possible.
"She noticed that no one was marking her and she said, 'I'm going to score,' and told Belle (Kennedy), 'I'm going to score here, nobody's marking me,' and sure enough she scored,'' Washburn coach Davy Phillips said. "It was incredible.''
"I called Belle off,'' said Boyle, a Baldwin native. "Usually Belle and I kind of go to the same spot and I noticed no one was marking me so I said, 'Belle, if it comes near us let me have it because no one's on me,' so I kind of called it.''
The fact that her game-winner came against a ranked opponent and on Senior Day made the goal even more special.
"It was a big game,'' Boyle said. "They're ranked in the nation, so are we, so we knew this was the biggest game of the season so far and it feels really good.''
"Senior Night is always special,'' Phillips said. "I don't get it, I don't understand it, but seniors always find big moments on Senior Night. I'm really happy for Josie. She's been dangerous on corners all year and she was really good on that one.''
Phillips said that Sunday's contest had a playoff-type atmosphere.
"That's what we talked about at halftime,'' Phillips said. It's a great rehearsal for what's to come. There's a different energy and a different type of battle that happens in these games, so we had to be prepared for that in the second half, the physicality that comes with playoff-type atmospheres and it felt like a playoff game tonight.''
WU senior goalkeeper Alli Harrington, a Spring Hill product, posted her second clean sheet of the weekend, making seven saves in net.
Harrington has been solid in goal for the Ichabods since taking over for sophomore Hailey Beck, who suffered a torn ACL in practice about two weeks ago. Beck, a former Washburn Rural star, was among the national leaders in goals against average and shutouts at the time of her injury.
"It's something we talk about with this group, that the strength is in the collective,'' Phillips said. "We've said it for two years now. We're deep, we sub more than other teams, we rotate. Goalkeepers don't get the luxury of having that rotation and substitution pattern, but I'm really confident in all the goalkeepers on our roster and I knew Alli would do a really good job when she got her turn, so she's taken it and done really well with it.''
