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Wakeland cruises past Little Elm in bi-district round
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@acnpapers.com
FRISCO -- Wakeland entered Friday's postseason opener against Little Elm without a loss in more than one year.
The Lady Lobos couldn't hand the defending Class 4A State Champions their first loss of the season, dropping a 6-0 contest from Lone Star High School.
"I was extremely proud of the way we came out in that first half," said Meagan Wilson, Wakeland head coach.
Sophomore Sydney Kingston scored the game's first goal in the sixth minute of the match on a shot that went just over the outstretched hands of Little Elm goalkeeper Brianna Gibson.
"That helped out," Wilson said. "These are smart girls though and it doesn't take long for them to figure things out."
Wakeland added its second goal of the evening in the 14th minute when freshman Brooke Hartsock snuck a goal past Gibson, putting the Lady Wolverines ahead 2-0 early in the game.
Little Elm head coach Julie Burnet said it wasn't easy getting matched up against a team as dangerous as Wakeland in the opening round.
"It's hard," she said. "But I teach my girls to play hard no matter who we're playing."
The Lady Lobos would get their first shot on goal during the 27th minute, but goalie Michaela Moen was there for the Wakeland stop.
Things then went from bad to worse for Little Elm, as the Lady Wolverines widened their lead to three goals during the 30th minute.
The team's third goal came courtesy of junior Paige Reid, who netted a laser shot over Gibson's head.
"I think we had some jitters early on," Wilson said. "But they figured everything out pretty quick."
The dagger for Little Elm came with only 10 seconds remaining in the opening half when Tyler Johnson scored Wakeland's fourth goal in the first 40 minutes.
The 4-0 halftime lead allowed Wilson to rest many starters and get multiple players some time on the field.
"It was wonderful," Wilson said. "The games get harder and harder as you get further into the playoffs. So it was nice to be able to get everyone in there."
With a huge lead at the break, Wakeland didn't leave any room for error in the final half.
"I told them that we have to keep our composure," Wilson said. "We still have 40 minutes to play."
Freshman Noa Kopplin added another goal for the Lady Wolverines in the 60th minute after chipping in a close-range shot past Gibson for a 5-0 Wakeland lead.
Gibson, who made the switch to goalkeeper midway through the season, had several tough saves to keep the game from getting any worse.
"She was our goal scorer," Burnet said. "But we had to make her our goalkeeper because of her athleticism."
With Gibson facing an onslought of Wakeland shot attempts in the game, the senior eventually surrendered the game's final goal in the 72nd minute when Wakeland's Olivia Nichols was credited for her team's sixth and final goal.
Nichols scored on a ball that Gibson couldn't reach after a jumping attempt allowed the ball to sneak just inside the right post.
Neither team would score in the final eight minutes of play, as Wakeland clinched a 6-0 victory to advance into the second round of the playoffs.
The Lady Wolverines, who improved to 20-0-4 on the season with the win, will now play the winner of Paris North Lamar and Richardson Pearce.
Details of that matchup were not determined as of press time.
Meanwhile, the Lady Lobos ended their season with an 11-10-2 mark after reaching the playoffs as the fourth seed from District 4-4A.
"It helps us see the things other teams can do," Burnet said.
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