The No. 9 Millard West Wildcats took on the unranked Millard South Patriots on Monday, Apr. 14, on Jim Sutfin Track and Field at Buell Stadium.
The Cats came in with four wins in their nine total games and hoped to get to .500 after this game, while the Patriots hoped to beat a top 10 team and possibly sneak up there themselves. Along with the ranking implications, the Battle of Q Street is a rivalry that has been going on for decades between West and South, and with the last matchup being a 0-1 loss for West in the 2018-19 season, the Wildcats are looking to take the crown.
Within the first few minutes, freshman midfielder Madison Hutteger secured the first goal of the game, and her third over the last four. Shortly after, Millard South got a goal on the board after freshman striker Kathryn McLaughlin got her thirteenth goal in her short nine-game career, which tied the score at 1-1.
Despite both teams scoring goals within minutes of each other early on in the game, the battle became a war between the defenses, as for a while, no goals were scored. That is until South had a prime opportunity to get a goal from a set piece, which gave them the 2-1 lead.
In the final seconds, South had a goal that went into the back of the net just after time expired, which would’ve altered the game trajectory for both teams. After the near disaster at the end of the half, head coach Jacque Tevis-Butler decided that a change needed to be made at goalkeeper, and despite the substitution, there was no love lost between the position group.
“I made a coaching decision based upon the game circumstances and playing conditions,” Tevis said. “Our keepers are each other’s biggest competitors yet supporters of each other.”
After the change at keeper, the Wildcats came into the second half rejuvenated and ready to eliminate the point deficit from the first half. The attack was on point right from the jump, and they did a great job at controlling possession and keeping the Patriots from having any opportunity to make a real attempt at a shot. Eventually, the hard work would pay off, as junior midfielder Harper Knutsen got the tying goal, evening the score out at 2-2.
Now that the game was tied, the pressure was intensified on both sides, but no one felt it more than junior goalkeeper Addy Stephens.
“When we got the second goal, you could feel the rush of excitement that was on the field,” Stephens said. “We have made it this far, (now) I couldn’t let anything in. I was incredibly nervous, but I was also determined to let nothing go in the net.”
As the game neared the final minutes, it felt like overtime was all but guaranteed. The Wildcats had a couple of solid attempts, but to no avail. That was until junior defender Leah Pugliese took a difficult and long shot from the left side of the field that was perfectly placed to get right past the keeper into the net, making the score 3-2 with only a few minutes left for the Patriots to mount an attempt to mount a comeback.
With so little time, and a stellar Wildcat defense, the Patriots couldn’t muster anything up, which meant the Cats took home bragging rights in a Battle of Q Street matchup that hadn’t been played since the 2018-19 season.
Despite the massive goal, Pugliese, along with many other players on the team, had a significant impact on both ends of the field, as they were attacking with force on one side and tackling with aggression and precision on the other.
“It feels really good to be able to contribute to the team both offensively and defensively,” Pugliese said. “Our team is very versatile, and it helps us to be able to adjust positions depending on the situation. That being said, every single person on the team had a tremendous impact on the game. It was all of us who impacted the game together, not just one person, and it showed.”
With the win, the Cats improve to 5-5, but they’ve had some ups and downs throughout the season. Due to this, coach Tevis has made one thing very clear to the entire team.
“We understand that adversity teaches lessons,” Tevis said. “Adversity leads to growth. Adversity creates opportunity. As long as you understand the purpose of adversity, you understand that all that has transpired this far is just a beginning and not an end. We look at it this way and we know our best days on the pitch are ahead of us because we are continuing to learn from the adversity we have faced.”
After a nail-biter that had the Wildcats winning against their Q Street rival, they look to start up a win streak against Omaha South on Friday, Apr. 18. If they find a way to take down the Packers, they’ll have some momentum going into their last three games that they’ll hope to take into Districts.
