The Waynesville High School girls’ soccer team ended an impressive regular season in equally impressive fashion.
Senior forward Katie Pritchard netted the game-winning goal with just two seconds left in overtime, lifting the Lady Tigers to a 3-2 victory over Nixa Thursday at Slaughter Stadium.
Waynesville ends the regular season with a 17-4 record. WHS is seeded No. 1 for the Missouri Class 2 District 11 Tournament to be held May 12-15 at Lebanon. After a first-round bye Waynesville will meet the Lebanon-Springfield Central winner at 5 p.m. in semifinal action Tuesday, May 13.
The district championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 15.
The District 11 champion will meet the District 12 winner in Class 2 Sectional action.
On Thursday Waynesville found itself down 1-0, as Nixa scored on a direct kick with two minutes left in the first half. That stood as the halftime score.
WHS went up 2-1 when Pritchard scored on a penalty kick – after Lauren Kelly was taken down by the Nixa goalkeeper – and on a goal by Lynette Newcomb, assisted by midfielder Tash Lord.
Nixa tied the game 2-2 with 12 minutes left in regulation on a penalty kick.
The game stayed tied after the first overtime. And it appeared the same would occur in the second overtime. However, in the final seconds junior midfielder Erica Combs received the ball on the left side of the field and fed Pritchard, who took one step and fired the game-winning shot with just :02 left.
The game would have went into a penalty-kick tie-breaker if it had stayed tied after two overtimes.
“The Nixa game was a great game,” said WHS head coach Josh Scott. “They came out and wanted to win. The second half we calmed down and played our game, and in the second half we dictated play.
“I feel great (going into the post-season). We had two great games this week against two hard, physical teams. I’m happier where we are now than we were going into district a year ago.”
Nixa won the junior varsity game 1-0. The WHS jayvee squad ends the season 6-7-2.