Regina girls pick up first ever state win

DES MOINES - Either Solon or Regina was going to make history by winning the school's first girls state soccer tournament match Thursday. The Regals seized the opportunity and dispatched their rivals 4-1.

No. 3-ranked Regina (15-4) plays second-ranked Nevada (20-0) Friday at 12:15 in the semifinals.

'It's great. It was great two years ago getting here and now we had success this first round,” Regal senior Katie Wick said. 'We're not done yet. We're not satisfied just getting past the first round.”

Regina scored two goals rather easily and put the Spartans in a big hole. Wick broke through the scattered defense and was one-on-one with the keeper. Her shot into the lower right corner in the 10th minute gave the Regals the lead.

Jenna Lehman scored in the 23rd minute with a little shake-and-bake move that lost her defender. That left her with only the keeper to contend with, and she put it in.

'We experimented with a through ball, and it worked for us so we kept doing it and it resulted in a lot of goals for us,” she said.

'At the beginning it kind of took a while, but then we just picked them apart,” Wick said. 'Through balls were really working. I think our offense is really good. We're fast and we pass really well. We all work really well together.”

By the time Solon made the defensive adjustment it was too late. Lehman had another great chance on a run-out in the 28th minute but fired the shot straight at the goalie.

Regina took a 3-0 lead early in the second half when Lauren Ronnstedt passed a perfect ball to Hannah Yowell on the right side, and Yowell drilled it home.

Solon got one back on a penalty kick by Emma Moss in the 60th minute, but Wick's penalty kick in the 64th minute nullified that gain.

'I think we played real well,” Solon Coach John Tucker said. 'I think we had as much opportunity. They got a couple fast breaks on us that they put in. We had a couple off the post that didn't go in. That's the way it goes sometimes.

'They just executed well. They have fast girls. They found a way to get through before we had a chance to identify what they were doing. Then I think we shut it down, but they got a couple of them before we adjusted.”

Regina's defense kept the Spartans at bay.

'We got together before the game and said this game is going to come down to the four of us,” Nikki Becker said. 'So we came together and did what we had to do to stop them.”

Tucker said the Regals were stuffing the box with seven and eight defenders, but at times Solon was just slow to the attack and didn't seem to play with the same sense of urgency.

Tucker paid tribute to his seniors who finally got the team to the state tournament for the first time.

'It's an amazing group,” he said. 'I tell you what, I was so happy. The last few years has been amazing. I'm going to miss them all. They are just good people. Always positive.”

Solon finished the season at 14-6.