The Brook Hill School

Lady Guard State Soccer Champions!

HOUSTON — To state champs from scratch in two years.

Bullard Brook Hill completed a remarkable rise to the top of TAPPS Division III Saturday, winning a state championship in the program’s second full year after defeating Colleyville Covenant Christian 3-0 at Houston Awty International High School.

“It’s a testament to the girls,” Lady Guard coach David Collins said. “The girls have bought in to what we’re doing. They worked hard every day to get better.

“Their effort was tremendous. I’m so proud of them.”

All year Brook Hill (14-5) had the luxury of receiving scoring from multiple sources and Saturday was no different. Three different players scored, with Morgan Moss, Katherine Stair and Kendall Wells doing the honors.

The Lady Guard defense also stepped up, shutting out a district rival that had beaten them 3-0 and 2-0 earlier in the year.

“Our defense was outstanding today,” Collins said. “Ari (Assad) and Lily Cool and Maria Moore and Kirby Vinson did an outstanding job in the back.

“We just put it all together.”

Goalkeeper Hayden Langemeier made eight saves to earn the shutout, her 10th of the year and third of the postseason.

Langemeier made a big save in the first half and the Lady Cougars (17-6-2) struck the post in the second half, but the Brook Hill defense kept Covenant Christian to pot shots from the outside for most of the game, Collins said.

The Lady Guard scored midway through the first half when Kennedy Rose played in Moss, who beat the keeper one on one.

Stair made it 2-0 five minutes later, taking a wide pass from Wells, cutting inside and launching a shot into the corner, a goal Collins described as “beautiful.”

Wells put the game out of reach seven minutes into the second half after she played a give-and-go with Hayley Dumesnil and drilled the shot past the Lady Cougars keeper from the top of the box.

“That was kind of the dagger,” Collins said. “Once we got up three we took control of the game and there was no doubt.”

After losing twice to Covenant Christian in the regular season, Collins changed up the game plan Saturday, using high pressure to disrupt the Lady Cougars.

“I think the big key to this game was as a team we defended so much better than we did the first two games,” he said. “We never gave them time. We forced them to turn it over a lot because of our pressure and the intensity of our play.”

Collins said the team was confident going into the game because of the game plan, adding that the Lady Guard went out and executed, playing their best game of the year.

“It really was an incredible effort,” Collins said. “From the first whistle we came out and took it to them. Our girls had a very dominating win today.

“I’m so proud of them and real pleased obviously with the way the season ended.”