The Chillicothe Lady Hornets soccer team was in St. Joseph Saturday afternoon to face Excelsior Springs in the first round of the Class 2 District 8 tournament. Chillicothe entered at 7-7-2 on the season as the 5 seed while the Lady Tigers were 10-9 and the 4 seed.
Excelsior Springs could not have asked for a better start, scoring just 30 seconds into the contest when Emmalyn White finished a cross, blasting the ball into the upper netting. The Lady Tigers kept the pressure on, just six minutes later, White played a ball into Reese Ryan who slipped it past the the Lady Hornets goalkeeper Layla McKinnis to double the lead.
Chillicothe overcame the slow start to gain control in the latter stages of the first half, and found the breakthrough when Hayden Hansen delivered a perfectly weighted ball into Summer Gatson on the right side of the box. Gatson showed poise with a clinical finish to put Chillicothe on the board and the Lady Hornets trailed just 2-1 at half.
The Lady Tigers opened the 2nd half just like they did to begin the game, answering back with a goal in the first minute, this time it was Ryan with the assist to Gracie Carder. Nearing the midpoint of the 2nd half, Emmalyn White added her 2nd goal to give Excelsior Springs their largest lead of the game at 4-1. The heat played a major factor on the Benton turf field, but Chillicothe showed no signs of quitting. With 16 minutes remaining, Sophie Hurtgen took the ball up the right flank, dribbled around the last defender and her shot beat the keeper to the near post, pulling one back for Chillicothe. The Lady Hornets created some late chances but were unable to get any closer, falling 4-2.
The Chillicothe Lady Hornets soccer season finishes with 7 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws in the first year under head coach Angela Pope. Excelsior Springs will face Maryville in the district semifinal with Bishop Leblond and Savannah matching up on the other side of the bracket.