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MHS snares shootout victory
Staff Photo by Steve Sell McPherson High's Allie Archer uses a gymnastics throw to start the Bullpups' offense in action here Tuesday.
By STEVE SELL, Sentinel Sports Editor

Regular-season fruition nearly turned into postseason frustration for the McPherson High girls soccer team here Tuesday night in the opening round of the Class 5-1A Regional Tournament.
The Bullpups were matched against a Salina South team they had dismantled in Salina 5-0 earlier this season. But like MHS, South had improved the second half of the campaign.
So much so that regulation time could not determine a winner. Nor could one, two, three, even four overtimes, as the teams played to a 1-1 tie.
Finally, it came down to five-on-five penalty kicks. And the Bullpups were able to prevail 2-1, as MHS goalie Melissa Shriver was able to turn back all but one Cougar attempt.
While it made for considerable excitement in the stands for the fans, it hardly caught the fancy of Bullpup coach Jim Post, whose team now goes to Newton for a 7 p.m. game Thursday. The game will be played on Fischer Field, not the high school, and there is no parking on the north side because of construction.
"It was really a boring game. We didn't play that well," said Post, whose team is now 12-4-1, 10-1 in its last 11 games. "They packed their whole defense in and we knew they were going to do that. Other than corner kicks, I don't think they had a shot on goal after the first half. But that's smart coaching by him (South coach Trey Crow). If they would have played straight up, I think it would have been the way it was last time."
South led 1-0 at the half on a goal by Katie Gugler and then the second half tested the Bullpups' patience, as time and again they pounded the Cougar goal, only to come up empty against what basically was an eight-girl defense.
Finally with about four minutes to go -- the clock was not working because of a lightning strike -- MHS' Grace Rizza scored off a corner kick.
The teams then played two 10-minute overtimes and two five-minute OTs. In the first five-minute OT, the Bullpups had numerous chances right in front of the South porch, but couldn't score, including a miss from point-blank range.
In the shootout, Katie Clark gave MHS a 1-0 lead on the second Bullpup attempt, but Cherise Erickson came right back for the Cougars to tie it. Sarah Ferrell, MHS' third shooter, tallied, and South missed on its final three attempts. Its last attempt actually came from goalie Taylor Aldrich, who dropped the pads to take the shot, which was high.
"To be honest, I think we were looking ahead to Thursday," Post said. "But I give Salina South a lot of credit. They came out with a game plan and did it well, and it almost worked."
MHS had more than three times as many shots as the Cougars, 19-6, after South dominated the first 40 minutes with a 4-2 advantage.
MHS now goes up against a Newton team that it edged 1-0 in Newton earlier this season, and it figures to be an intense game. But Post said he's not worried about his team being physically and emotionally drained.
"I think we're mainly feeling relief tonight," Post said. "Second of all, I didn't get up at 6 in the morning for a month straight to be slow on Thursday. We'll be ready."

McPherson Unified School District 418
514 N. Main
McPherson, KS 67460
620-241-9400
It is the policy of McPherson USD 418 not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race,
religion, color, age, or national origin in its educational programs and/or activities, nor in its employment practices.

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