Prairie's title bid falls short at high school girls state soccer tournament (2024)

MILWAUKEE - Postgame hugs from family and friends were as much about consoling the heartbreak of a sudden and stinging loss as it was acknowledging a season in which The Prairie School girls soccer team had accomplished so much.

Through tears and difficult smiles, the Hawks began coming to terms with a 2-1 double overtime loss to New Holstein in the WIAA Division 3 state final Saturday at Uihlein Soccer Park.

Prairie's season of coming together, improbable postseason comebacks and the final 92 minutes of exhausting soccer in nearly 90-degree temperatures, ended with the Huskies' Kayla Bertram emerging from a tangled scramble of bodies in front of the Hawks' goal to score the winning goal.

"You hate to lose a state final that way, on a ball that's just kind of bouncing around in front of the goal," Prairie coach Corey Oakland said. "But all the credit to them, they kept going for it.

"It was a very even, back and forth game. I think we had some great chances and an opportunity came for them in front of the goal and they got the right bounce to get it in. It's disappointing, but what can you do?"

With a starting lineup that included just four seniors, the Hawks (17-8-3) gained control of the tempo after an unsteady first 10 minutes. Prairie's confident play was rewarded in the 18th minute when freshman Melissa Rooney played a ball at midfield deep into the left side of the attack. Prairie's Carolyn Murphy closed quickly and when New Holstein defender Heather Klapperich failed to make a clean touch on the ball, the freshman midfielder pounced.

"It was a perfect feed from Melissa and it was a great opportunity," said Murphy, who had 16 goals this season.

Murphy took possession and quickly moved goalside of the defender before blasting a 25-yard left-footed line drive shot for a 1-0 lead.

"We want to get her in situations where she's 1v1 on defenders because she can do that," Oakland said. "I don't know how many goals she's scored this year where she's just blistered balls from the left side of the field.

"The big thing for us was a little bit of nerves. We have three freshmen starting out there. The hardest part of a game like this is having the composure to play quick, easy little touches and fight the urge just to wail at things. Once we got past that first 10 minutes, we settled in. (Friday), it took us an entire half to settle in and today it took us 10 minutes."

New Holstein (18-5-4) raised its offensive intensity after halftime but Prairie senior goalkeeper Elynn Kann was equal to the challenge. Kann stopped Mariah Wipperman's well-placed lofted shot from the right side in the 57th minute and prevented the Huskies from connecting on a dangerous cross less than a minute later. But with missed opportunities came a confidence that had been lacking in New Holstein's attack since the opening minutes. Erin Diefenthaler raced into the box and redirected Tracy Lisowe's cross in front of Prairie for a 1-1 tie at 59:20.

New Holstein continued to pick up the pace but failed to seriously threaten over the final 20 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of the first overtime against a tiring but determined Prairie defense. That pressure finally paid off when Bertram's shot ended it early in the second overtime.

"There was a whole bunch of feet and we were all in huddle and I tried to go for the ball and she chipped right over my head," said Kann, who along with forward Kate Lieberman and midfielders Brianna Madson and Kelsey O'Brien played their final game at Prairie.

"They truly led this team, both through words and actions. It's crushing to lose them, especially losing this way," Oakland said.

"The future is certainly bright, it's hard to look at that right now, but I do have a lot of appreciation for the young players who stepped up and followed the lead of the seniors"

Holding back tears, Kann spoke of the Hawks' journey to the state final.

"We had lost so many seniors and we had freshmen coming up that I didn't know," Kann said. "And as the season went on, we just got more skillful and our team got so close. It was the most amazing experience of my entire life. I wouldn't trade that for anything."

It was a sentiment shared by Murphy.

"It's always a disappointment to lose," she said. "But this was the best team I've had. I've had a lot of teams and this has definitely been the best."