3 observations: How hobbled Sarah Ritter led Whitefield girls soccer to Sixth Region title

After a heartbreaking loss last year in the KHSAA Sixth Region girls soccer final, along with two even battles against Mercy this season, including the regular-season matchup in which Whitefield won 3-2 in a penalty kick shootout, Whitefield Academy can now book its trip to the Kentucky state tournament for the first time in school history.

Whitefield beat Mercy 2-1 Friday night at Mercy High School and will take on Owensboro Catholic in the KHSAA state tournament first round next week.

“This is a huge win and a huge building block for our program and it means a lot to us," Whitefield head coach Jacob Ritter said. "The kids have really worked hard all season."

Here are three observations from the historic win:

Mercy goes ahead early

Mercy, the defending Sixth Region champions, mostly controlled the first half. Whitefield managed a few dangerous shots, but the Jaguars did not concede a goal.

Then Mercy junior forward Nikki Burba fired on net with 21.2 seconds left in the first half for a 1-0 lead heading into halftime, giving the Jaguars some confidence as they chased a third straight regional title.

Sarah Ritter ignites Whitefield comeback

The second half was a much different story. Whitefield opened up the half with several shots to tie the match up. With 29 minutes left, the Wildcats' leading scorer Sarah Ritter — who came into the game with 66 goals and was No. 2 in Kentucky in scoring — fired a laser from around 20 yards out to put Whitefield on the board. The Wildcats followed that up two minutes later with a goal from senior Cam Poole to take a 2-1 lead.

Ritter was battling an ankle injury from the regional semis.

“I saw the opportunity and knew I had to take it," Sarah Ritter said. "I was not scared as I have scored from out there before."

“I was a bit worried about Sarah," Jacob Ritter said. "Mercy really challenged us and I felt as we stepped up to the challenged and responded well.

Mercy's three-peat bid ends

Mercy tried to find opportunities late in the half to stay alive in the matchup, but the defending and possession from Whitefield was just too much to handle and the Wildcats held on to win.

“They are so good offensively, credit to Coach Ritter and his squad," Mercy head coach Andrew Gottbrath said. “I felt as we lost ourselves during a five-minute stretch."

Gottbrath said he was gutted for his senior group, but the cupboard is not empty for Mercy as they return a key group of underclassmen.

“At the end of the day I am proud of my team," he said. "It's never easy but we have nothing to hang our heads about."

Whitefield now looks ahead to Monday as it hosts Third Region champion Owensboro Catholic (17-5-1) in the first round of the state tournament. The winner faces the winner of Elizabethtown vs. Marshall County.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: KHSAAA soccer: Sarah Ritter, Whitefield top Mercy for 6th Region title