Lady Bombers Fall in PKs to Rival Chiawana - By Carter Upmeyer
The Co-MCC champions faced off for the first time since last year, and the Riverhawks pulled away with a tight win, 1-1 (5-4 PKs). Goalie Addie Tensmeyer was named "Player of the Game" on the @ladyriverhawks Instagram. Last year, Richland knocked Chiawana out in the last round of districts, so this was more than just a game. Coming into the 2024 season, every team in the league lost some key players, but perhaps Richland experienced the most significant losses with Bella Bunnage and Alyssa Marsh. On the other side of the field, Chiawana also lost some key players but, more importantly, retained key players from last year.
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| Photo: CrownVisuals |
Knowing the challenge of missing key players and the necessity of bringing up younger players, I talked to four-year varsity forward Payton Anderson about how they prepared for tonight's big game. She said, “We like to prepare by having a team dinner the day before to ensure we all have a good meal the night before the game. We also get hyped with our music and focus on our shots, passes, first touch, and pray before we head to the field.” As Payton noted, the community of Richland is strong. Being able to have those team dinners and bond with your teammates before the game is crucial. This was evident during the game, as the communication and understanding of each other's gameplay were excellent. For Chiawana, I spoke with junior captain Kalina Barbosa, asking her how they prepared for the game. She said, “We’ve been preparing the same for every team we play as if we are facing the number one team in the state every game. We have intense practices every day, with minor adjustments to our strategy depending on the opponent. We know Richland is a good team, and we will be ready to face the challenges they present. It should be a good game.” Kalina is coming off two great seasons, and this was a true test to see how she and senior Taylor Mills’ defense could hold off the strong Bomber attack—and they did not disappoint.
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| Photo: CrownVisuals |
To start the game, the Riverhawks had the initial kickoff. From that point on, it was a defensive duel. The game began back and forth, with both defenses showcasing why these teams consistently have low-scoring games. The first opportunity came for the Bombers when the Riverhawks' defense fell apart in the final third, allowing winger Kylee Kukes to take a shot that missed wide in the 8th minute. Shortly after, the Riverhawks advanced down the field, and junior forward Mylie Anderson had a shot on goal that was deflected by goalie Kenzie Christian, eventually being finished by junior Kennedy Douglas. In the 11th minute, it was 1-0 Riverhawks. In the past, the Riverhawks have tended to flood the net with goals after scoring their first. This was not the case in this game. Just 45 seconds after the Riverhawks scored, Bomber senior Niyah Gallegos unleashed a powerful shot into the top left corner after the Riverhawks' defense collapsed, with the ball being passed straight to Gallegos just outside the 18-yard box. This clearly shifted the momentum, as the Bombers appeared more confident in the final third for the next 10 minutes. Shots were flying in; whether on goal or not, they put significant pressure on the Riverhawks' defense and goalie. Like the start of the game, it remained back and forth, with both defenses holding strong. The first half ended with a score of 1-1. Chiawana came out strong after halftime, putting two shots on goal in the first five minutes. After that, the game saw a lot of possession and timid play. Neither team broke away consistently; instead, both focused on maintaining possession, and any chances that arose seemed to go to waste. In the last 10 minutes, Chiawana put together several runs and finished the half strong with many shots but couldn’t find the back of the net. The second half ended 1-1.
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| Photo: CrownVisuals |
Entering extra time, it seemed Chiawana had the advantage. The students were loud, and the team was making great runs to maintain possession. The first five minutes of extra time were uneventful, but Chiawana kept possession the whole time without scoring. In the second half of extra time, it was more of the same until Chiawana finally put something together and scored, but the forward was ruled offside when the ball was played, so the goal was called back. Now we were headed to penalty kicks. The Bombers were first to shoot and converted their first PK, followed by the Riverhawks doing the same. Both teams started the shootout by scoring their first three kicks. In the fourth round, junior goalie Addie Tensmeyer saved a shot to her left. Following this, her teammate scored on the next attempt, putting the Riverhawks ahead going into the fifth frame. The Bombers scored, leaving it up to Chiawana to win the game, but the fifth shooter missed the PK, requiring a sixth round. With nerves kicking in, the Bombers missed their sixth shot well over the net, sending the advantage back to Chiawana. Senior Ayla Harden made it count, scoring the game-winner, bettering their overall record to 3-0. And sending the Bombers into the losing column with an overall record of 1-1.
