Kearney High School Girls Soccer saw an outstanding season come to a close Monday night in a hard-fought overtime loss to Platte County.

The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 late in the match before Josie Sparks found Isla Downing behind the defense. Downing finished into the far corner to tie the game with about seven minutes remaining, giving Kearney a chance to extend the season. The Bulldogs continued to create scoring opportunities, including a near-miss on a corner kick late in regulation, before Platte County scored in overtime to advance.

While the final result was heartbreaking, there is so much for this team to celebrate.

Kearney finished the season 21-4, led the state in goals scored, won the Branson and North Kansas City tournaments, earned two wins in the tough Platte County Tournament for the first time and captured the conference championship outright for the first time since 2019. The Bulldogs scored an incredible 169 goals this season while allowing just 28.

This was a team filled with both outstanding senior leadership and exciting young talent. KHS will miss its six seniors: Charlie Dollar, Tatum Gregory, Addison Fischer, Kennedi Casey, Lily Rinehart and Josie Sparks. Four of those seniors will continue playing soccer at the college level, and we cannot wait to see what they accomplish next.

Congratulations to Coach Matt Reynolds, assistant coaches Mike Tichenor and Elvia Digirolamo, and the entire KHS Girls Soccer team on a tremendous season. Thank you as well to Bill Foreman and Zach Smith for announcing and running the clock, and to all of the fans who showed up throughout the season to support these student-athletes.

This team gave Bulldog Nation a lot to cheer about. Way to go, Bulldogs!