De Soto falls to Rose Hill in Class 4-1A soccer final

The De Soto Wildcats put up a hard fight, but came up just short in the Class 4-1A state soccer finals, after losing to Rose Hill 2-1. The Wildcats hung with the now two-time defending state champions throughout the entirety of the contest.

“We knew they were going to be dangerous on set pieces,” De Soto head coach Jesse Smith said. “That’s how they were able to get on the board early on us and we answered with a set piece of our own, but unfortunately we came up just short.”

Rose Hill struck first in the game, scoring just six minutes into the contest to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead. De Soto answered in the 22nd minute when Ethan Rodriguez served up a perfect corner kick to Lucas Zoller, which Zoller finished.

It was 1-1 until the 62nd minute when Rose Hill’s Parker Austin found Chace Beckham, giving the Rockets a 2-1 lead.

“I feel like our guys kind of got deflated after that goal,” Smith said. “For whatever reason, they had the upper hand in the second half and we just weren’t able to get up to their level. I’m proud of our guys no matter what though, it was a great ride to this point. Credit to Rose Hill, they simply outplayed us today.”

Wichita Trinity 4, Spring Hill 1

Spring Hill’s first trip to the state soccer tournament came without a win, but it was a learning experience for the Broncos. The Broncos finished fourth after being defeated by Wichita Trinity Academy 4-1. Spring Hill’s goal came from Tanner Gerstberger in the 49th minute.

“Us coaches are very proud of our guys and how they competed,” Spring Hill coach Will Meier said. “We obviously came up a little short, but I couldn’t be more proud of how they competed with such heart and class.”

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 7:40 PM with the headline "De Soto falls to Rose Hill in Class 4-1A soccer final."