In a recent match against Topeka Seaman High School on May 17, the De Soto High School girls’ soccer team secured a Regional championship title for the first time in the 5A class.

While DHS fell in the Regional championship last year to Shawnee Heights High School, they were able to bounce back this year and accomplish the Regional title.

According to varsity freshman center-back Macie Albright, the team has been playing strong in the postseason so far.

“I feel like we’ve been playing really well, and we’ve been really working well together as a team. The whole team has been stepping up and working really hard, so I think we’ve earned where we are today,” Albright said.

The Wildcats came out moving quickly with a goal in the first 30 seconds, which proved to be a large influence on the rest of the game, according to assistant varsity coach Emily Thayer.

“Scoring within the first 30 seconds was definitely a highlight, and when that happens your team gets the confidence they need to score like that and do what they need to do. It shows a lot about how the rest of the game is going to go,” Thayer said.

The team ended up with a strong 5-0 win, with goals by freshman Jordan Zade, sophomore Maddy Mascareno, sophomore Mackenzie Mohl, junior Drayvhen Moore and senior Caitlin Walton. A shutout was also recorded by senior goalie Taylor Rogers.

After this victory, the team faced its largest challenge of the season on Tuesday, May 22. Their match against Mill Valley High School was one of the toughest yet, as it ended up going into four overtimes and wrapped up in a penalty kick shootout. With a goal by sophomore Mackenzie Mohl in the first half, DHS led MVHS until a goal was scored by them late into the second half. The Wildcats fell to Mill Valley 2-1 after being defeated in PK’s, ending the 2018 season. While it was a devastating loss, it showed a lot about the team, according to Albright.

“The game Tuesday showed a lot of character from our team and how we never give up. We gave 100 percent the entire game, and the end result just didn’t go in our favor,” Albright said. “It’s tough to lose a game we put so much effort and energy into, but overall the season was a huge success. We broke so many records and worked extremely well and hard together, and I’m very happy with how it went.”

After a hard fought season, the DHS girls’ soccer team ended with a record of 16-2-1, and was undefeated for its last year in the Frontier League.