Douglas High girls soccer
Campbell Dedmon scores from outside the 18-yard box in the first half of the Class 5A girls soccer regional semifinal.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
RENO – It was their best effort against Galena in quite some time, but the Tigers of Douglas High girls soccer came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 loss in the Class 5A girls soccer regional semifinal.
Galena tallied what ended up being the game-winner in the 66th minute as Katie Muff gained just enough space to get her head on an incoming corner.
Muff deposited her second goal of the game to give Galena a 3-1 lead, but Douglas had answers waiting.
Two minutes later, it was sophomore forward Aleeah Weaver bringing the Tigers within one, sailing a shot in from 25 or so yards out.
Douglas started a high press in the final minutes, hoping to score a tying goal, but couldn’t capitalize on two corner kicks in the final moments.
“We did everything that we could and we definitely gave them a run for their money,” said senior defender Hannah Schaeffer.
Douglas ends the season with a 10-6-2 record, just a hair short of the state tournament.
“I feel like physically and emotionally I couldn’t have given anything more,” said Campbell Dedmon.
“Everyone left everything on the field and I think that’s what is most important,” said senior defender Amara Brown. “Even though we are walking away without a win, it still feels like we won in a sense.”
First half highlights
After their regional quarterfinal win Tuesday, the Douglas captains talked about how important scoring the opening goal would be.
Tiger captain Campbell Dedmon lofted a shot right over top of the Grizzly keeper to give Douglas what it was looking for – a 1-0 lead.
The goal in the 23rd minute shifted confidence to the Tigers after not scoring on Galena in four seasons.
Douglas kept attacking for the next few minutes, but Galena scored twice before the half, stalling any mojo the Tigers were gaining.
In the 37th minute, Katie Muff took a shot from a sharp angle on the right side of the goal, finding the far post and tying the game up.
Two minutes later, Galena had jumped in front behind a 40-yard snipe from defender Lauren La Fountain, who tucked her shot into the top right corner.
Douglas will graduate nine seniors in the spring in Brown, Schaeffer, Dedmon, Bailey Rozier, Olivia Rodina, Mackenzie Compton, Helene Henry-Greard, Melanie Telles and Shalia Moe.
“We’ve all been playing on the same club team since we were eight or nine years old,” said Rozier. “It’s the end of a chapter.”
"They set the expectations for the next ones," said Douglas head coach Andrew Robles of his seniors. "This is my third year here and you can tell the way they play. Sometimes the score doesn't go there. ... That's just the way the game goes."
Galena will head to the regional finals Saturday against the winner of No. 1 Reed/No. 4 McQueen Thursday night. The regional final will be at the home of the higher seed.
