Sports
Long, Hot Evening Culminates in State Championship for Visitation
Visitation Academy freshman Elizabeth Hopkins scores the game-winner to give the Vivettes a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame de Sion.
Deciding a soccer game via penalty kicks is one of the most brutal ways to determine a state championship. Saturday evening was one of those nights where a title was claimed in that exact fashion.
With a chance to win back-to-back state championships on the line, Visitation Academy freshman Elizabeth Hopkins nailed down the game-winning penalty kick to give the Vivettes a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame de Sion in the Class 2 state championship game at Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton.
“I was freaking out,” Hopkins said. “I was saying to myself ‘why me’? But I was just wanting to score so bad. I knew the game was on the line and I wanted a ring and I wanted that state championship.”
Not only was the outcome brutal, the weather conditions pushed both teams way beyond their comfort zone with temperatures in the mid-90s mixed in with some classic St. Louis humidity. The heat forced all games to be stopped after 20 minutes of play so that both teams could take a water break.
“Under the extreme heat conditions, I really think that both teams played outstanding,” Visitation head coach Dick Westbrook said. “It was grueling out there. When you consider playing 80 minutes and then another 30 minutes and then penalty kicks, it was quite a strain on these ladies.”
Notre Dame de Sion took a 1-0 lead at 16:29 on an unassisted goal by Mary Claire Gibson from about 20 yards out.
“The girls did everything that we asked them to do and we knew that we were up against a great team like Visitation,” Notre Dame de Sion head coach Matt Darby said. “It’s tough because you ask them to do everything they can do and to still come out un-victorious in penalty kicks, it’s a rough way to lose.”
Visitation would tie the game up at 1-1 at 72:21 on a cross shot from Courtney Young to Sarah Price. Both teams went scoreless through two overtime periods as well as a round of penalty kicks, before Hopkins nailed the game-winning goal in sudden death penalty kicks.
“I’m so proud of our girls, especially the seniors,” Westbrook said. “When they came into this year, we were ranked No. 1 and we were able to maintain that through the whole season and I credit the girls for that. They didn’t waiver, they had a purpose, they stuck to it and today it was accomplished. So I’m very, very proud of them.”