By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com
BRENHAM — Injured and inexperienced because of it, the A&M Consolidated girls soccer team battled to a bi-district victory over a Klein squad that dominated much of the action all over the field Thursday night.
The Lady Tigers earned a 2-1 shootout win because they were better in two crucial places — on the goal line and at the penalty spot.
Consol goal keeper Reagan McGinnis stopped two attempts in a shootout that went eight rounds before freshman Rebecca Curry scored the goal that sent the Lady Tigers into the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. Consol (12-5-3), which finished third in District 14-5A, will play 16-5A champion Round Rock in the area round next week.
Klein, the No. 2 seed from 13-5A and ranked 25th in the state, finished at 16-4-2.
The match was tied 1-1 after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime sessions. That invoked the first-year UIL shootout rule that replaced the 35-yard approach with a standard penalty kick.
Members of the big crowd poured out of the bleachers and down the sideline toward the north end, where McGinnis, a junior, and Klein freshman keeper Olivia Ausmus stepped into the crosshairs.
With Klein shooting first, the teams both converted on two opportunities and sent one shot off the crossbar during the first session of five attempts per team. Consol got equalizing goals from freshman Brooke Gulley in the first round and senior Mycah Miller in the fourth round.
After a McGinnis save to open round 5, senior Allyson Fowler had a chance to win it for Consol, but her shot sailed a foot or two over the left corner of the goal. Both teams converted in the sixth round, with Consol’s Jenna Harrison extending the match on a shot that grazed off the fingertips of a diving Ausmus.
Both teams sent their seventh-round shots high, extending the drama as the screams from the crowd got louder.
McGinnis put her team on the brink of victory in the eighth round with a diving stop against Brooke Woods, who sank to her knees in despair.
Curry quickly stepped up and buried her shot in the corner of the net, then turned and prepared for a joyous charge as her teammates mobbed her in an on-field celebration.
“My teammates were very encouraging,” Curry said. “I was just really focused. You get really into it. I didn’t feel like I had made it. It was cool when the ball went in.”
As for her feelings when she saw the Lady Tigers stampeding her way?
“I’ll have to think about it later,” Curry said.
Preparing Consol for a possible shootout in practice, coach Stuart Keogh and his staff thought about using other players than regular keeper McGinnis in goal. Keogh had no doubts about the choice after watching McGinnis make 15 saves against Klein.
“Reagan did an amazing job all night,” Keogh said. “She kept us in the game, no doubt about that. I told her that we were going with her [for the shootout], and she just nodded.”
McGinnis had never been in a shootout at the high school level. She bent over and swung her arms low before each attempt, walking nearly to the far corner after her final save set the stage for Curry.
“It was hard,” McGinnis said. “I knew the girls were going to give me everything they had, and I just had to do my best to keep the ball out of the goal. Rebecca took care of the rest with that last goal.”
Although Consol never trailed during regulation or overtime, the outcome was stunning because the Lady Bearkats had a huge advantage in offensive possession and scoring opportunities. Klein put eight shots on goal during a scoreless first half, and McGinnis had to withstand seven more in the second half. Consol managed one shot on goal during regulation and another in overtime, neither really testing Ausmus.
The Lady Tigers took the lead 12 minutes into the second half on a penalty kick by Miller, who was taken down in the penalty area by the keeper after Consol’s top scoring threat beat a defender to work her way free.
Klein got the equalizer with 15:58 left in regulation when sophomore Brooke Lenz curled in a corner kick through a maze of players in front of the goal. The Lady Bearkats had five decent scoring chances over the rest of the half, sending three shots high or wide and getting two deflected by McGinnis.
“In my opinion they were a better team than us,” Keogh said. “Our girls had to fight for every inch. This is why we did all the work going back to the offseason in August, so we’d be ready. The girls took advantage of it.”
Consol started the match minus two key players who were injured. A couple of Lady Tigers limped off the field with minor injuries during the match, including senior Megan Lewis, who returned to play even though she was limping noticeably.
The Lady Tigers got contributions from up and down their roster. Junior center back Aliza Grant played more than half the match after spending most of the season on the JV and getting just 5 minutes with the varsity.
“We preach a lot about family and taking care of each other, and this is the kind of win you get when you have a family instead of just a group of players,” Keogh said. “Susie Saca played tremendous all night. Caroline Rudd was cramping and stayed out there until I had to pull her off the field. She and Jenna Harrison in the middle did more than anybody could have possibly asked for.”
Consol also got good work from Shannon O’Donovan, Alex Stewart, Macie Morales, Haley Dupre and Thali Grant.
Round Rock advanced with a 7-0 win over Austin Bowie, which finished fourth in 15-5A.