It wasn’t the way Hahnville envisioned its season coming to an end.
It was a somber Lady Tigers’ group following a match that saw their season come to a close in the second round of the Division I soccer playoffs, a 3-1 loss to visiting Northshore.
Hahnville fell behind 2-0 in the first half before finding itself down a player for the majority of the second half after a red card and ejection shortly after halftime forced the Tigers to play 10 on 11 for the rest of the night. Having to rally from two goals down, it was a nightmare of a game script for HHS with its season on the line.
The Tigers fought hard, but Olivia Roy’s penalty kick with 17 minutes left made it a 3-0 lead for Northshore, all but securing the Panthers’ victory.
“They took advantage of the chances when they had them. We couldn’t tonight,” said Hahnville head coach Edgar Fuentes. “I think we created good chances, but we couldn’t convert.”
After a stellar regular season, the Tigers (17-4-2) earned the No. 5 seed in Division I, then advanced to round two on the back of a dominant 8-0 win over Airline.
Northshore, the No. 12 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals to face Mount Carmel. MCA defeated the Panthers in that game Tuesday night, 1-0, to advance to the semifinals.
Against Hahnville, Northshore (13-9-3) struck first, 15 minutes into the game. Kali Trahant scored there to put the Panthers ahead 1-0. With 8:48 left in the first half, Kendall Remerow scored to give her team a two-goal advantage.
Then came the red card early in the second half, and an uphill climb got even tougher.
It was a physical game in general. Several yellow cards were issued as well throughout the match.
With the Tigers trailing 3-0, Hahnville’s Gabrielle Touchard got a free kick from approximately 30 yards away – she lofted a high shot that fell just over a leaping Panther goalkeeper Abby Clark for a goal to make it 3-1 with 15 minutes left.
Another chance on a free kick for Hahnville came up just short when Taylor Madere’s attempt nearly found the net, but was saved by Clark. Clark came up big again on another save off of an Ashlyn DeSoto try, and Northshore held from there. The Panthers’ Emma Gallaher – sister of Destrehan girls soccer coach Jade Gallaher – assisted on two of the three Northshore goals, each off of corner kicks.
The Tigers will lose four senior starters and seven seniors overall going into next season – Addison Agnelly, Alix Champagne, Ashlyn DeSoto, Riley Folse, Taylor Madere, Destiny Thompson and Bri’Onna Wright. The group was the first freshman class Fuentes worked with upon his arrival at HHS.
“We’re going to miss them,” Fuentes said. “That’s a big, big gap to fill. Leadership, experience – they were the glue that brought this team together.
“It’s why I got emotional with them just now, I think. I told them you were my first shot with the program. They were willing to do whatever it took to make the program successful. They stepped up, were leaders when they needed to be leaders – just a great class altogether.”
Despite the loss, the Tigers accomplished a lot this season, earning the fifth seed and a district championship.
“To my knowledge, (the program) has never been that high. I just told them, it was a magical season, they made history. Now, I would trade it all for a shot at the third round, but that’s the game. I’m proud of the girls. They didn’t put their heads down. They kept fighting until the last whistle. That’s all you can ever ask for,” Fuentes said.
