A historic season continued Tuesday night for Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth as the Cardinals powered past Meridian 4-1 in the regional semifinal to advance to Friday’s regional championship match.
The Cardinals were led once again by superstar forward Lillian Jones, who delivered a dominant performance with a hat trick and an assist in one of the biggest matches of the season. Coming into the night with 62 goals already on the season, Jones added three more while helping WL/MF continue its postseason run.
Both teams entered the matchup after remarkable seasons. Meridian came into the semifinal with a 15-5 record after putting together one of the best campaigns in program history, while WL/MF continued to establish itself as one of the top teams in the area.
The opening minutes featured fast-paced action from both sides as each team looked to use its speed in transition. Chances came early and often, but it was the Cardinals who struck first after Jones broke through the defense and was taken down inside the penalty box. Jones calmly stepped up and buried the penalty kick to give WL/MF the early 1-0 advantage.
The Cardinals continued to pressure Meridian throughout the first half, and Jones once again played the role of creator with 17 minutes left before halftime. After drawing defenders in transition, Jones found Riley Hackleman for another goal that extended the lead to 2-0.
Just before halftime, Jones added another highlight moment. The senior forward fired a shot from outside the box that found the back of the net, pushing the Cardinals’ lead to 3-0 heading into the closing minutes of the half.
Despite trailing, Meridian continued to battle and generated several quality scoring opportunities throughout the opening half. The Hawks repeatedly tested the keeper with shots on goal but struggled to capitalize until late in the period. Mckynlee Kapchinske finally broke through just before halftime, giving Meridian life and cutting the deficit to 3-1 entering the break.
The second half mirrored much of the first as both squads continued to create chances offensively. Meridian looked for another breakthrough to climb back into the match, but WL/MF continued to control key moments defensively while leaning on the playmaking ability of Jones.
Early in the second half, Jones completed her hat trick with another finish that extended the lead back to three goals with 31 minutes remaining. From there, the Cardinals controlled the tempo and closed out the 4-1 victory.
With the win, Warrensburg-Latham/Maroa-Forsyth advances to the regional championship match where the Cardinals will face Williamsville on Friday at 4 p.m. for the regional title.
Lillian Jones talks hat-trick and regional win.
Jones draws the PK and scores for WL/MF.
Mckynlee Kapchinske scores for Meridian.
Jones scores her second goal of the night for WL/MF
Riley Hackleman scores for WL/MF
Lillian Jones scores her 3rd goal of the game securing a hat-trick for WL/MF