CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — The Carl Junction Bulldogs are the Class 3, District 6 champions after defeating Branson 1-0 on Saturday.
Senior forward Lauren Burgess is responsible for the Bulldogs’ single goal, which came with just three minutes left in the second half. Hannah Franks passed the ball to Burgess, who nailed it in the back right corner of the net, sealing Carl Junction’s win.
Burgess says, “It means a lot to me. I really just did it for my team. I knew that I needed to be the one to score because they were really on me and stuff like that, but I’m really just doing it for my team and I’m glad I could pull through for my team.”
Though Branson’s defense was a tough one to face, Carl Junction had defeated them 3-1 in the last game of the regular season. That gave them confidence that they could, indeed, get the job done, despite a stagnant first half of play.
“The second half we just kind of regrouped. We decided that we had some confidence in ourselves, go out there, we know that we can do it and just push through it and get the ball in the back of the net. The girls just pushed through it and kept on,” says Ed Miller, Carl Junction head coach. “We had all the momentum. So we were just like, come on, we’re running out of time. Get it in there! So we were right around [the net] but there weren’t any goals, so the girls stuck with it and we finally got one at the end.”
CJ will host Glendale in the Class 3 state quarterfinals next Saturday, May 28.