BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - It was a day of firsts and lasts for the Helias girls soccer team during Saturday's third-place game in the Class 2 Final Four. So it seems only fitting that in the last game for Chuck Register as coach, the Lady Crusaders got their first win in three trips to the Final Four. And even more fitting, a senior playing her final high-school game - Lexi Melcher - delivered the game's only score.
A header by Melcher - off a perfect corner kick from Taylor Hagenhoff - with just three minutes remaining, sent Helias to a 1-0 win over Smithville at Blue Springs High School.
The Lady Crusaders had made trips to the Final Four in 2000 and 2002, coming away with fourth-place finishes both times. And while it didn't appear another fourth-place finish was in the offing as Helias dominated the time of possession in the game, it seemed as if a tie for third might be in the cards.