Richgels Gets 50th Goal and Spartans Get Win

Simley High School senior Jill Richgels scored her 50th goal, and the Spartans staged an improbable rally to down visiting Hastings 5-4 in girls soccer on Wednesday.

The Spartans started fast and led 3-2 in the second half, only to watch as the Hastings Raiders tied and then passed them late in the second half.

Down 4-3 with less than a minute to play and with Richgels on the bench with a quadriceps strain, junior midfielder Melanie Bailey scored with 53 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

Senior midfielder Sarah Luby then won it for the Spartans with a dramatic goal in the extra period.

"It was really fun," said coach Cassie Husemann. "Not only to win, again, at home, we're undefeated at home, but Jill Richgels with her 50th goal of her career. That's a huge accomplishment.

"The win in the last seconds, the announcer counting down and dribbling down—[that's] not something I've witnessed before," Husemann said.

Bailey had two goals for the Spartans, while Richgels, Luby and Samantha Tinucci had one goal each.

"I was really happy with our start," said Husemann. "We scored in the first minute of the game. We played really well in the first half. In the second half we were a little rocky, but that overtime period, they played 10 minutes really strong."

Richgels, Luby, Bailey and the Spartans defensive line all played well, Husemann said.

Simley evened its season record at 2-2, with wins over New Life Academy (5-0) and Hastings at home, and road losses to South St. Paul (5-1) and Park of Cottage Grove (4-1).

The Spartans host Henry Sibley Thursday in a match starting at 7 p.m.