CARL JUNCTION, Mo. - The Helias Lady Crusaders are back in the soccer Final Four for the third straight year.
Helias got three goals from Becky Roberts on Saturday on its way to a 5-0 win against Carl Junction in a Class 2 quarterfinal contest.
"Three times is exciting because of what we had to do this year to get back there," Helias coach Brad Dempsey said. "But getting there is not our goal. We have expectations of making some noise, we're not just happy to be there, we want to take down two tough opponents."
Helias (19-8-1, tied for No. 5 in the rankings) will face Kearney (22-3-2, also ranked No. 5) in the semifinals at noon Friday at Blue Springs South High School.
"Kearney's a great team," Dempsey said. "We're going to have to be ready to play."
Roberts scored from outside the box Saturday with both her right and left foot, with the third goal coming on a penalty kick.
Jordan Poire and Emma Wyrick also scored for the Lady Crusaders. Tiffany Weaver, Lexi Lamb and Kendall Smith all had assists.
"It's a rewarding feeling right now because we had to go through the same path, we had to beat the same teams in the district final (Rolla), sectional (Union) and quarterfinal (Carl Junction), that we did last year," Dempsey said. "They have combined for less than 10 losses and here we are with eight losses.
"Our schedule really got us ready for the playoffs."
Sydnee Kliethermes got the shutout in goal for Helias, with a little help from Lamb, who cleared a ball off the goal line with about five minutes remaining.
The other semifinal will pit unranked Rosati-Kain (14-13) against Visitation Academy (19-3-2, ranked No. 1).
Class 2 Final Four
AT BLUE SPRINGS SOUTH H.S. FRIDAY, JUNE 6
Semifinal games
Rosati-Kain (14-13) vs. Visitation Academy (19-3-2), 2 p.m.
Helias (19-8-1) vs. Kearney (22-3-2), noon
SATURDAY, JUNE 7
Third-place game
TBD, 10 a.m.
Championship game
TBD, noon