MUNSTER | If it's between a sectional title and a Northwest Crossroads Conference title, Highland will take the sectional trophy.
After losing to Munster in what amounted to the NCC championship a week before, Highland exacted its revenge on the Mustangs with a 3-0 win in Saturday's sectional final at Munster.
"I didn't want to lose to (Munster). We wanted to kill them," senior Kat Smailis said. "Especially since we're at their field, and they did this to us (last season) at our field, it feels pretty good."
Smailis scored a pair of goals for the Trojans (14-3-2), bringing her total for the three-game sectional bracket to six goals and an assist.
"If you ask (Mustang coach Val Pflum) which she'd rather have, the sectional or the conference, she's going to tell you the sectional," coach Gordon Walker said.
Pflum said the game boiled down to the simplest of factors.
"They just scored more goals. That's what happened," she said. "I just feel sorry for my seniors."
The first of those goals came early when Smailis broke free in the sixth minute and pounded a shot into the net. It was the lone goal of a first half that saw only four total shots.
"I just hustled as hard as I could and wanted to get it into the back of the net, and I was successful," Smailis said.
Early in the second half, Frankie Angotti took a pass from Michelle Geissler inside the box and scored at 42:10.
Smailis got her second goal on another breakaway at 63:42 on another lightning-fast shot to the right side, beating Munster keeper Gabby Roque.
"We had 10 seniors and almost all of them started," Pflum said. "They're my girls. I've had these guys forever, and it's going to be tough missing them."
The Mustangs (13-6) still have a bright future, though. This year's junior varsity team was undefeated.
Highland will meet Lake Central in next week's regional. The meeting between the two earlier in the season resulted in a 3-2 Trojan victory.
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