Graphic courtesy of Blue Dragon Sports Information
By John Mesh
For the first time since 2011, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon women’s soccer team has defeated Butler in a playoff game.
The No. 14 Blue Dragons (11-2-6 overall, 7-0-3 in their last 10 games) defeated the No. 2 seed and No. 11 Grizzlies 2-1 Thursday afternoon at BG Products Stadium in El Dorado.
Hutchinson snapped a six-game losing streak to the Grizzlies in Region 6 games.
Hutchinson will play Cowley College in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.
Cowley College defeated Kansas City Kansas 1-0 at KCK Thursday on a goal by Helene Braren (Evelyn Borges assisted). Cowley handed KCK its first loss of the season.
Cowley College is 11-5-3 and KCK is 14-1-6.
The Blue Dragons will make their eighth appearance in the Region 6 Tournament championship game, the first since 2014.
The Dragons are bidding for their fourth regional championship — the first since 2011.
HutchCC led at halftime 1-0 on a Haley Rogers goal off an assist by Katharina Marx at the 9:16 mark. Marx now has 13 assists this season.
Butler’s Sakiko Manabe tied the score at 1-1 39:45 into the match on an assist by Giselle Nash. The score at halftime was 1-1.
At the 58:22 mark, HutchCC’s Rogers scored an unassisted goal to give the Blue Dragons the lead at 2-1. Rogers has scored 16 goals this season.
Butler outshot the Blue Dragons 19-5 and led in corner kicks 7-4.
HutchCC goalkeeper Karsyn Slothower made 13 saves off 14 shots on goal and improved her record to 6-1-4.
Slothower broke the career saves record with her 175th and record-breaking 176th save in the Region 6 semifinal win over Butler.
Butler goalkeeper Rylie Schiffelbein made 1 save off 3 shots on goal.
Butler finished the season with a 13-3-4 record (12-2-2 in league play).