Women's soccer surges past MSM in quarterfinals

The Charger women's soccer team, fresh off a resounding 7-1 win over Bridge Creek in Round 1, played the Mount St. Mary Rockets in the quarter finals last night.

This meeting of the championship contenders is the second one of the year. Earlier in the season, the Chargers beat the Rockets 3-0 at The Mount. Considering coach Robyn Brewster's girls have beaten most of the teams in their district by the 10-goal "mercy rule," this was one of their tougher games.

Heavy rains in the days leading up to the Quarterfinal left the pitch at Pop Murray Memorial Field soggy, so the game was moved from Heritage Hall to Edmond North High School, just a few miles down the road. When the time finally came, the Chargers were excited to take the field, and did so with confidence.

The game kicked off and the Chargers grabbed possession. The ideas were there, but the girls were having trouble finishing opportunities in front of the net. They showed technical ability and it was clear from the beginning that Heritage Hall was the better team. Despite the Chargers being on the attack the entire half, the teams went into the locker room scoreless.

After a pep talk from assistant coach Niall Burley, the Chargers returned to the artificial turf unsatisfied and determined to finish their chances in the second half.

The second half started, and The Hall hit the ground running. They were pinging balls at the Rockets' back line, and there was clearly a stronger sense of urgency.
Layla Nassar sent a cross over the top of the backline and Harper Martin put the ball in the back of the net for the first goal.

The Chargers rode that momentum and Nassar quickly added another goal, unassisted, to make it 2-0.

Relentlessly, the Chargers continued attacking. Layla Nassar scored her third goal to secure the "hat trick" and The Hall led 3-0.

Confidence was building, and the girls continued to prove they deserved to move on to the semifinal match. To finish off the game, Yohonna Bell scored the final goal to secure a 4-0 Quarterfinal victory.

Now 12-0 on the season, the Chargers will host Verdigris on Tuesday night in a match that will be carried on ChargerVision. The Cardinals fly into Charger Stadium with a 12-2 record and home playoff wins over Inola and Rejoice Christian. The winner will punch their ticket to the State Championship match. Please come out and pack the stands to cheer the Chargers onward!

Written by Aiden Walker '23
Photos by Kimberly Richelle

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