TOWN AND COUNTRY – In capital letters from her elbow to her wrist, Eureka senior captain Mia Fernandez wrote the word ‘testudo’ prior to the Wildcats’ state semifinal game against John Burroughs.
“It’s our word for teamwork,” Fernandez said. “Every person working hard together.”
And with their two leading scorers held to one goal apiece, the Wildcats needed to summon all the ‘testudo’ they could find.
Senior Emily Henderson scored a career-high four goals, junior Katie Criswell added three, and Fernandez guided the defense through a nerve-wracking fourth quarter as Eureka defeated John Burroughs 11-10 in a thrilling Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association state semifinal Thursday at Missouri Baptist University.
Eureka (17-1), which advanced to the MSLA championship game for the third consecutive season, will face MICDS (17-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Missouri Baptist for the state title.
John Burroughs (13-6) will play Marquette (11-6) in the third-place game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Missouri Baptist.
John Burroughs designed its defense to shut down the top two scorers from Eureka – Kylee Pickens and Ruby Copeland – who combined for 116 goals this season. With the absence of an injured Bailey Boulay, the All-American attacker who led the Wildcats with 64 goals last season, Eureka had to find offense from other sources.
It did not take long.
Henderson, playing the wing position of Boulay, and sophomore Ameila Craig, wearing Boulay’s uniform No. 22, helped Eureka get off to a lightning-quick start.
Henderson scored three times in the opening 13 minutes by powering her way to the front of the net, scoring in transition, and converting a free position opportunity as Eureka jumped out to a 6-1 lead.
“Our offense does a good job sharing the ball, and whenever a player is face-guarded, we use that player effectively, using picks to set us up for success. A lot of my goals came from successful picks that Kylee set for me,” Henderson said.
As for her Boulay-like goal barrage in the first half, “I wouldn’t say that I’m the Bailey. Nobody can step up in that position, but I’m doing my best,” Henderson said.
Craig, who played on Eureka’s C-team as a freshman last season, scored and provided an assist while wearing Boulay’s No. 22 uniform during the Wildcats’ explosive first quarter.
“We rotate her jersey, and she picks someone to wear it and she picked me. It’s truly a privilege and a blessing,” said Craig as tears welled up in her eyes.
Defending state champion John Burroughs made its own explosive run in the second quarter. Sophomore Katy Chapman started a four-goal blitz with a free position shot, and Rosalie Tasker, Kate Logsdon and Eva Kasal soon followed, as the Bombers sliced the deficit to 6-5.
Of the Bombers 10 goals, six were the result of free position opportunities, as a weaving labyrinth of cutters forced Eureka to commit fouls or violate shooting space.
“We just needed to lock down, focus on the drives and watch the cutters,” Fernandez said. “The free position (shots) were a struggle, but we just needed to get our bodies there and beat them to the spot.”
The teams exchanged goals in the third quarter, including the third tally from Criswell, who matched her career-high for goals in a game.
“A lot of the girls who usually fly under the radar took the challenge and stepped up. I’m really proud of them,” Eureka coach Melissa Menchella said.
A strong drive by John Burroughs senior Charlotte Petersen-Kopman cut the deficit to 9-7 midway through the third quarter, and on the play, Eureka goalie Kaitlin Reis had to leave the game temporarily due to injury.
Sophomore Ainsley Seitz, who made only three varsity saves during the season, stepped between the pipes for the Wildcats for the remainder of the third quarter.
“Getting put into a game this high-pressure as a sophomore goalie can be very stressful. The offense needed to step up,” Henderson said.
Henderson scored her fourth goal with a pinpoint shot into an upper corner, and Pickens scored her only goal of the game on a spin move with 4.1 seconds remaining to supply Eureka with an 11-7 cushion heading into the fourth quarter.
It was the last goal Eureka scored.
Reis returned in net, Fernandez called out defensive instructions and the Wildcats’ chased the Bombers from point A to point B for the next 12 minutes.
Tasker found the net midway through the fourth, Petersen-Kopman scored on a free position shot and when sophomore Reese Rafferty converted a rebound, the Bombers sliced the deficit to 11-10 with 2:32 remaining.
But a brilliant right leg save by Reis kept the Wildcats in the lead, a late steal by Pickens gave them the ball and strong midfield clears by Brooke Samuelson and Lucy Knerr ran out the clock as Eureka survived and advanced to the final game of the season.
“We put each other on our backs and took care of each other, and that’s what got us through this game,” Henderson said.
Craig added, “Something that we wear on our sleeves is that we play for each other and not just for ourselves.”
The Wildcats call that ‘testudo,’ and it’s also written on their arms.
Photos at benvessa.smugmug.com