DRAGONS WIN THRILLER IN REGION 6 SEMIFINALS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

EL DORADO – The No. 14-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's soccer team advanced to the Region 6/Plains District Tournament championship game for the first time since 2014, defeating No. 11 Butler 2-1 in a semifinal matchup on Thursday at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.

Haley Rogers scored two goals, including a go-ahead penalty kick in the 59th minute, and goalkeeper Karsyn Slothower made 11 saves, including a spectacular game-saver with 6 minutes to play that was a milestone save for her.

Hutchinson (11-2-6) will play the Cowley Tigers in the championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park. Fourth-seeded Cowley defeated top-seed Kansas City 1-0 in Thursday's other semifinal.

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. Hutchinson snapped a six-game Region VI Tournament losing streak to the Grizzlies.

Going against a northeast wind in the first half, the Blue Dragons posted only one shot on goal, but they made it count.

Katharina Marx received a ball outside the box and drove toward the net. With three Butler players converging on her, Marx deftly slid a pass to her left to an undefended Rogers, who fired into a wide-open goal for a 1-0 Hutchinson lead with 35:43 remaining in the opening half.

The Grizzlies outshot the Blue Dragons the 10-1 in the first half. Slothower made six saves in the opening half, but Butler got the equalizer when Sakiko Manabe bent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal to tie the game at 1-1 with 5:12 to play in the first half.

The Blue Dragons earned a corner kick opportunity entering the 59th minute. Rogers delivered low cross attempt that deflected right back to her. She then sent a cross into the box and a Butler player fouled her in the box just after the pass resulting in a penalty kick for Hutchinson.

Rogers fired her PK to the lower right corner and got it past Rylie Schiffelbein for a 2-1 Blue Dragon lead with 31:38 remaining in the second half. Rogers' penalty kick was the fourth in Blue Dragon postseason soccer history and the first since 2018. Rogers joins Nicole Randall (Oct. 25, 2010 vs. Garden City), Jen Rogers (November 7, 2013 vs. Butler) and Brailey Moeder (October, 25, 2018 vs. Johnson County) as Blue Dragons with a postseason penalty kick.

After taking the lead, the Blue Dragons had to survive five Butler corner kicks and relentless Grizzly pressure. Slothower made four tough saves in that span and Blue Dragon defender Ana Pokrandt made a team save right at the goal line to preserve the Dragon lead.

With just more than 6 minutes remaining, Butler delivered a free kick from 40 yards out and a Grizzly player tried chipping a pass over Slothower, who reached back and made a spectacular save, her 10th of the game to that point.

That gave Slothower 176 career saves, which surpassed Ashley Perez (2005-06) for the Blue Dragon career saves record. Slothower's 11 saves in the game tied Carly McArthur (2007 vs. Laramie County) and Vickie Dukart (2013 vs. Butler) for the third-most saves in Blue Dragon postseason single-game history.

The Blue Dragons were outshot by Butler 22-4. Marx had a chance to give the Dragons a two-goal lead, but hit the left corner of the goal with 7:50 remaining in the second half.

The Blue Dragons run their unbeaten streak to 10 games (7-0-3).

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 25-16 all-time in the Region 6 Tournament, going 7-8 in the semifinal round. … Haley Rogers' five game-winning goals this season ties Alaina Hudson (2008), Stephanie Franz (2009), Jen Rogers (2013) and Sheena Nicol (2016) for eighth on the single-season game-winning goals list. … Rogers' 16 goals ties Franz for 19th on the single-season goals list. … Karsyn Slothower earned her 18th career win, which puts her alone in fourth in career goalkeeper wins. … Katharina Marx now has 22 career assists, which ties Brailey Moeder (2017-18) for 12th on the career assists chart. Her 66 career points ties Nicole Randall for 17th on the career points chart.