The Lady Panthers won 2-1, breaking a 1-1 tie at halftime early in the second half and holding the Ladycats back from tying things up.
Aledo came into the game with a 13-6-2 record, having won the district title with a 10-0-2 record while outscoring opponents 37-5. Colleyville Heritage was 13-3-2, but had finished fourth in its district with a 7-3-2 record.
The Lady Panthers seemed to do a good job of keeping possession and attacking the Ladycats on their side of the field for the majority of the time, but Aledo struck first.
On a counter-attack, Allyson Weimer was dribbling in the middle of the field and decided to let it fly from about 40 yards away in the 17th minute. With the wind at her back, the ball sailed towards the back of the net for the first goal of the game.
Heritage answered back 12 minutes later. On a set piece the ball was crossed into the box where the Lady Panthers converted on a header after the ball was initially popped up high. Heritage tied the score at 1-1 in the 29th minute.
Things got a little testy before halftime. Two Aledo players were booked for yellow cards after losing their cool after aggressive plays on the ball, but both came back in after a break on the bench with Coach Taylor May.
Things continued in the second half, but now the Lady Panthers had the wind at their backs making things more difficult for the Ladycats in trying to both keep possession and mount threatening attacks.
Heritage took the lead in the 56th minute with a kick from just outside the box at 15 yards that was too tall for the goalie to get. The Lady Panthers led 2-1.
Aledo’s best chance at the goal in the second half came near the 71st minute. The Ladycats had their first corner kick of the game and had two meaningful kicks on goal that sailed wide of the net.
In the end, Aledo could not come back as Heritage held on to win 2-1.
For Coach May, it was a tough ending to her first season at Aledo where a lot of adversity meant the group had to grow up together.
“The message was we had a great season, we battled a bunch of injuries and they fought back every game,” May said. “We didn’t say ‘woe is me’ and stop playing. They fought for all of their teammates. If nothing else, the injuries helped us play harder and for each other. It was a team effort instead of just a few players.”
One area that was hit hard this year was at goalkeeper. Senior Haley Mourer had to step in this season after both goalies on the team broke their hands. In her final game she faced multiple shots on goal all game and was able to stop all shots she was able to get her hands on.
Seniors Addison Clark, Hazel Jean Wood and Reese Harz also will be missed, but May is confident her team, full of returning players, will do nothing but grow better next season even with the move up to 6A coming.
“We have a core group coming back,” May said. “The majority of our starters are coming back. We’ve got some good upcoming freshman and a couple of JV players too so our future is bright. 6A will be a new test for us, but we are ready and open to the challenge.
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