The No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team advanced to the Region 6 Tournament championship game for the second-straight season after grinding out another defensive battle with KJCCC rival Butler on Wednesday night.
Freshman Isabell Van Fleet scored in the 28th minute in Hutchinson’s Region 6 semifinal matchup with the third-seeded Grizzlies at the Salthawk Soccer Complex and the second-seeded Blue Dragons made it stand up for a 1-0 victory.
Hutchinson (13-2-4) advances to meet top-seed and seventh-ranked Cowley in the Region 6 championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the KCK Soccer Complex in Kansas City, Kansas. This will be the Blue Dragons’ eighth appearance in the Region 6 Tournament championship game.
As expected, the game was a defensive battle, especially in the middle third of the field, and quality scoring chances were at a premium.
The Dragons broke the scoreless deadlock in the 28th minute.
After taking a short throw-in, freshman Olivia Tamaki placed a perfect long pass up-field and hit Van Fleet in stride. Van Fleet dribbled about 20 yards and drew out Butler goalkeeper Millie Robshaw-Charlesworth to fire a low shot to her left into a open goal for a 1-0 Hutchinson lead with 27:28 remaining in the first half.
The goal was Van Fleet’s eighth of the season and first in eight games. Tamaki registered her team-high 13th assist.
Butler never threatened the Dragon goal over the remainder of the half. Blue Dragon goalkeeper Evie Carvell (10-2-4) made only one save on a long free kick in the first half and Hutchinson took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Grizzlies dominated possession of the ball in the second half. The only scoring chance for the Dragons in the final half was an Isabel Puccinelli shot from 12 yards out that was saved by Robshaw-Charlesworth.
Carvell had to make two strong saves in the second half and then the Dragons survived a wild scramble right in front of the goal with 70 seconds remaining. Butler’s Amiya Hamilton-Thompson drove the ball into the penalty box, got past Carvell and flicked a shot off the right post. The ball rolled right to the foot of London Ingram, but she was challenged by Blue Dragon midfielder Beatrice Sales and pushed her shot wide left with 1:05 remaining in the second half.
The Blue Dragons outshot Butler 16-9. Carvell had three saves, while Robshaw-Charlesworth made eight saves.
Hutchinson is now 4-1 in 1-0 games this season and 22-16 in 1-0 games in program history. The Blue Dragons are now 7-6 all-time in 1-0 games played in the Region 6 Tournament.
This was the 13th Region 6 Tournament matchup between Hutchinson and Butler in 21 seasons with all 13 games either a Region 6 semifinal or championship-game matchup. The Dragons are now 6-7 in those matches, including two-straight wins over the Grizzlies.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 27-17 all-time in the Region 6 Tournament. … The Dragons are 8-8 all-time in the semifinal round. … The Dragons are now 13-16-4 all-time against Butler, including 5-2 in 1-0 games.
