Buena Vista Girls Win Overtime Thriller, Head to State...

Sometimes the sweetest victories are the ones you have to fight hardest to earn.

The No. 1 seed Buena Vista High School girls soccer team secured their ticket to the 2A State Championship on May 16 with a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory against Frontier Academy. After 80 minutes of regulation play and 26 scoring attempts, senior Mae Blazer finally found the back of the net halfway through overtime.

The game didn't go according to plan. The Lady Demons dominated possession and created chance after chance, but the ball refused to cooperate. Then Mother Nature intervened with a lightning delay that stretched halftime to over 30 minutes.

Head coach Kinsey Bowdle saw the delay as a blessing in disguise. "I think it was a really needed reset for us," she said after the game. "I think our girls stayed super focused."

At halftime, Bowdle asked her team a simple question: "Are you ready for your season to be over?" The answer came loud and clear in the second half as the Lady Demons controlled the tempo and found their rhythm.

Still, regulation time ended scoreless. The Wolverines' defense held strong, and finishing remained elusive for Buena Vista.

Buena Vista Girls Win Overtime Thriller, Head to State Finals

Then came overtime. Blazer collected a loose ball just inside the 18-yard box and rocketed it into the net. The celebration was immediate and well-deserved.

"It was really cool to see them have the confidence knowing that they were going to win that game," Bowdle said. "It was just like they were going to continue to push until it was done."

Why This Inspires

The victory sets up a rematch with Forge Christian Academy, the team that knocked the Lady Demons out of the playoffs last year. Forge Christian enters the championship game with a 15-2-1 record as the No. 2 ranked team in 2A.

This time feels different. The Lady Demons have shown they can win when nothing comes easy. They've proven they can stay focused through delays, droughts, and defensive standoffs.

Coach Bowdle says her team is ready to battle. They're motivated by last year's heartbreak and determined to be the ones celebrating this time.

The championship game kicks off May 20, and one thing is certain: these girls know how to finish what they start.