Postseason soccer games often turn into close battles that end up being decided by penalty kicks.
It took the entire regular season, but the Helias Lady Crusaders finally had a game decided by PKs, falling 2-1 to the Hickman Kewpies on Thursday night at the Crusader Athletic Complex.
"It was good for us to get that kind of experience, to go through what it's like," Helias coach Jay Hebenheimer said.
The game was tied at 1 at the end of regulation and after the two 10-minute overtime periods. Helias went first in the penalty kick round and after missing its first shot, converted the next three. Maya Heckart, Grace Winegar and Bailey Henson tallied the scores for the Lady Crusaders, all to the lower left part of the net.
Hickman also missed its first PK on a save by Helias keeper Kaitlyn Buker. The Kewpies then converted their next three and it was tied with one shot remaining for each team.
Buker got a touch on all three of the shots.
"In PKs, that's pretty stellar," Hebenheimer said. "She's keeping us in games we maybe shouldn't be in."
Buker finished with eight saves in regulation and overtime.
"She's getting it, she's going to be a special player," Hebenheimer said.
Hickman keeper Allison Keys stopped Helias' fifth shot before Hannah Larson scored the game winner with a liner into the back of the net.
Hickman (15-4-2), winners of eight of its last nine games, has won four times by PKs this season.
"Hickman's a tough team who has been on a roll," Hebenheimer said. "They really can put pressure on you in the back."
While the Kewpies have been in a slew of close games, it's just the fifth game decided by one goal for the Lady Crusaders.
Hickman got on the board midway through the first half on a goal by Sophie Kovalenke. It took nearly 60 minutes for Helias to get the equalizer, which came on a penalty kick by Reese Hamilton with 2:02 remaining in regulation.
"That was not our best game of the season, our possession wasn't good, but the girls toughed it out and got it to overtime," Hebenheimer said. "We get into a run where it's pretty solid for 20 minutes and then we just lose it for a bit."
Helias is not deep right now and had a couple of starters leave the game with injuries.
"We really only have a couple of reserves and when we lose more players, it takes us out of the flow of our game because those girls going in don't have the experience," Hebenheimer said.
Helias (10-12) is the No. 1 seed in next week's Class 3 District 13 Tournament, hosted by Marshall. The Lady Crusaders open against fourth-seeded Camdenton at 5 p.m. Monday. Helias defeated Camdenton 6-1 on March 24.
Second-seeded Warrensburg and third-seeded Marshall will meet in the other semifinal at 7 p.m. The title game is slated for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Five Lady Crusaders - Ashley Hart, Hannah Crane, Katerina Careaga, Megan Kerr and Rebecca Maffeis - were honored before the game for Senior Night.
"I hate to see the seniors go," Hebenheimer said. "We're going to miss all of them."