The Randall Lady Raiders are headed into uncharted waters after getting a hard fought 1-0 win against Godley to capture the Region I-4A Division II championship Monday night on the pitch at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls.
The Lady Raiders (21-5-1) now advance to the UIL Class 4A Division II state semifinals for the first time since 2010 where Randall will square off with Aubrey (18-3) out of Region II at 5 p.m. Friday on the campus of Burkburnett High School.
“This win means everything to this program,” said Whitney Bernard, who is in her 18th season as the head coach at Randall. “This team has had a goal all year and they have been working their tails off to achieve it. We are still striving each and every game but to see the hard work payoff is incredible. I feel like we’re playing hard, but we still haven’t played our full game yet. With that said, we’re finding a way and I’m so proud of this group.”
This win meant a little more to Bernard being able to coach both of her daughters, who make a significant impact on this team. Ryan McClain is a senior and Kyndal McClain is a sophomore.
“It is very special to me,” Bernard said. “There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing my daughters get to enjoy this and coach them.”
Like they have throughout the postseason, the Lady Raiders played great defense against Godley (16-5) and because of that defense is a big reason Randall is marching on. In fact, Randall has only given up two goals throughout the entire playoff run and has currently gone 159 minutes without allowing one in the net. The last goal against the Lady Raiders came in the first half against Benbrook in the regional semifinals.
As for the offense against Godley, it came by way of freshman Layla Williams. In this defensive struggle, teammate Brooke French connected to Williams who used her speed to get the game’s only goal in the 12th minute.
Amarillo High’s season came to an end in regional finals
A tremendous year for the Amarillo High Lady Sandies came to a disappointing end. The Lady Sandies got behind early and never recovered falling to Colleyville Heritage 4-2 during the Region I-5A Division I championship in Burkburnett on Tuesday night. Heritage was able to jump out to a 3-0 lead. AHS did rally with Reagan Neely scoring two goals, but the comeback came up short. The Lady Sandies, the District 3-5A champions, see a great year end at 20-2-2.