Lady Dawgs’ amazing season ends in regional semifinals
The Burnet High School girls soccer team’s history-making season ended in a 1-0 loss to Bay City in a Class 4A Region III semifinal April 8.
The Lady Dawgs (18-8-3, 11-4 District 18-4A) finished third in the district race and played in four playoff games this season, the most by any Burnet soccer team in program history.
“I will take away that heart can one hundred percent win games,” head coach Kimberly Myhre said. “I had 25 on the varsity by the end of the season. There’s not any other 25 I’d want to be apart of this. From my freshmen to my eight awesome seniors, we left a legacy. The girls put everything they had in this program. Their heart for this game and for each other is something I’ve never been apart of. That was huge for us this year.”
The Blackcats (28-1-1, 14-0 District 24-4A champion) scored a goal-line goal in the first half when confusion set in on the defense, which thought the ball went out of bounds. Instead, a pass was made, and Bay City converted on its best opportunity of the day for the difference in the contest.
“It was a fluke goal,” Myhre said. “I think the first half, nerves got the best of us. In the second half, we were that same team that showed up against Giddings. We just ran out of time. If we’d gotten to overtime or to penalty kicks, I really think we would have won. They scored in the first 10 minutes of the first half. I think it’s hard to come back from that. They have a lot of talent. We were able to hang with them, and we were able to get on their level.”
Bay City’s scoring could have been higher had it not been for Burnet goalie Juliet Morales, who got in front of a couple of shots, including a penalty kick.
“She had some big saves in the first half,” Myhre said.
While this wasn’t the ending anyone wanted, these Lady Dawgs were able to get to the regional tournament, something their counterparts in volleyball and basketball also accomplished this season. Myhre said she doesn’t believe her players felt a burden to get to the regional tournament.
“I think they embraced it,” she said. “We (as coaches) never put that pressure on them. We wanted to do it, too. Our motto in the girls athletics department is ‘Green Going Gold.’ They know they can win the gold. It’s really fun getting to this level. We have such a strong younger group that they’re hungry for that state game. They see their friends doing it, and they want to go through that same ride.”
The coach said she hopes fans will remember the 2022 squad for more than its record.
“The girls with the most heart, the best sense of humor, the best fight, that they left a legacy in Burnet,” she said. “Hopefully the (next) group can follow. This has just been the best for me as a coach. They truly have the passion and heart any coach wants to be apart of.”
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