They got one stop. They couldn't get a second.
Katie Ardini of Rock Bridge converted on a second penalty kick attempt midway through the second half Tuesday to lead the Bruins to a 1-0 victory against the Jefferson City Lady Jays in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 9 Tournament at the Crusader Athletic Complex.
"Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose," Jefferson City coach Dal DuBois said. "That's just the fact of competition. But I'm so darned proud of this team."
Ardini's goal came after Jefferson City was called for a foul in the box. Jefferson City keeper Riley McKee stopped Ardini's penalty kick, but was called for leaving her line before the shot was taken, resulting in another attempt.
Ardini converted the second attempt for what turned out to be the lone score of the game.
"We've worked on that," DuBois said. "We think, and other people have said, Riley is the best keeper in the state and we don't think she would make a mistake like that."
With the win, the top-seeded Bruins (9-11) advance to Thursday night's district title game against third-seeded Capital City (16-6). The Lady Cavaliers defeated the Helias Lady Crusaders 3-2 in PKs in Tuesday night's second semifinal.
Jefferson City had defeated Rock Bridge 1-0 in PKs during the regular season, playing a defensive style. Tuesday night, the Lady Jays brought a more offensive-minded mentality into the game.
"We wanted to bring the offense up, but we worked extra time to keep the defense strong," DuBois said.
It resulted some good chances, but none that found the back of the net.
"We had some good opportunities, a whole lot more offense than we did against them last time," DuBois said.
Jefferson City ends its season at 8-10.
"The girls put their hearts into everything," DuBois said. "Last summer, the preseason, the practices, the games."
DuBois, who wrapped up his first year as head coach of the program, credited his seniors for their leadership.
"They made sure everybody was there in strength and conditioning, stepped up the entire time," he said. "We had nearly 20 players coming to summer practice, they devoted themselves from last summer until tonight.
"There is nothing with a 1-0 loss to be down about," DuBois added. "We had the will to win and that was very important."