Titan girls’ soccer team falls one game short after historic wins in Class AA playoffs
The Tea Area High School girls’ soccer team moved to Class AA this fall, and made history after winning their first-ever AA playoff game on October 8. The 4th-ranked Titans hosted Rapid City Central and secured a commanding 5-1 victory, marking a significant milestone for the program.
In front of a home crowd, Tea Area’s offense shone, with goals from Mya Neuhardt, Heidi Hofer, Alana Otten (assisted by Kendra Nielson), and two from Sage Hoffman, with an assist from Chloe Wilson. The dominant win propelled the Titans to the quarterfinals, where they faced Sioux Falls Washington on October 12.
The quarterfinal match-up proved to be a much tighter contest, with both teams battling to a 0-0 tie through regulation and overtime. The game would be decided by a penalty kick (PK) shootout, where Tea’s resilience and composure under pressure came through as they took the 1-0 victory.
In the shootout, Tea Area goalkeeper Abby Munson was the star, delivering two crucial saves on Washington’s opening penalty kicks. Tea Area’s Cate Giles, scored the first penalty kick, giving the Titans an early 1-0 lead. Sage Hoffman followed with a perfectly placed shot to put Tea up 2-0.
Sioux Falls Washington responded with a goal, but Tea’s Alana Otten extended the Titans’ lead to 3-1 with a shot into the back corner of the net. Washington added another goal, as the Titans’ Piper McKinney’s shot hit the post.
Washington added another to tie the score 3-3. Tea Area freshman Emilee Budahl, who hadn’t played during the game, stepped up for the Titans and calmly delivered the winning penalty kick. Her shot gave the Titans a thrilling 4-3 victory in the shootout, sending them to the Class AA semifinals.
In the fight to go to State, the Titans needed to get past top-ranked Harrisburg on Tuesday, October 15. They fought until the end but Harrisburg got the 2-0 victory, sending them into the State Class AA Championship this Saturday, Oct. 19 and ending the Titans’ historic run.
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