Rouse eliminated on penalty kicks in semis

GEORGETOWN — Holding topranked Frisco Wakeland scoreless for 100 minutes was little consolation for the Rouse girls soccer team Friday. In the end, Wakeland earned a 1-0 win by going 4-2 on penalty kicks in the Class 5A semifinals of the UIL state tournament at Birkelbach Field.

Wakeland’s Ava Yocum scored the winning goal for the three-time state champion Wolverines.

“I was really confident going in that I was going to make it, but to see it all come together was really exciting,” said Yocum, a senior.

The Wolverines (25-0-2) went 4for-4 on penalty kicks.

For Rouse, sophomore Kylie Snell and junior Lily Arellano nailed their kicks, but Wakeland goalie Claire Manis also blocked a pair of Rouse attempts to put the Wolverines in position to win.

Raiders coach Corey Elrod said he hopes Thursday’s loss will be a teaching moment for his young team. Rouse had ample chances to score in regulation but came up empty. It was just the second time the team has been held scoreless this year, and its 11-match winning streak was snapped.

“We had some close ones (Thursday), but the girls left it all on the field,” Elrod said. “You can always say ‘what if,’ but I don’t live in the ‘what if ’ world.”

The most notable close call for Rouse came off the foot of sophomore forward Shelby Wilson, whose breakaway kick earmarked for the left side of Wakeland’s net was blocked by goalie Brooklynn Freeman in the first half.

“That kick just gave me motivation that I could come back and score another time,” Wilson said.

This was Rouse’s second trip to the state tournament. The 2017 team also fell in the Class 5A semifinals. With the majority of their players returning next season, the Raiders are confident they’ll get another chance to make school history.

“We have a lot of skill that is very young,” junior goalie Kayla Hehenberger said.

She and the rest of Rouse’s defense allowed a total of one regulation goal in six playoff games.

“We like to score points, but we take pride in our defense, too,” Elrod said.

Wakeland was credited with 11 shots on goal, Rouse seven.

AARON E. MARTINEZ/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Rouse defender Mia Merz, center, hugs goalkeeper Kayla Hehenberger after the Raiders’ Class 5A state semifinal loss to Frisco Wakeland 4-2 on penalty kicks. “We had some close ones (Thursday), but the girls left it all on the field,’’ Rouse coach Corey Elrod said.