The Westside girls soccer team very well could be the hottest team in the state. The Warriors have defeated three teams, which are ranked in the Omaha World-Herald top ten. The Warriors upset Class B No. 3 Omaha Duchesne 2-1 in overtime, blew out No. 8 Papillion-LaVista 5-0 and then upset No. 6 Lincoln Pius X 1-0. Westside also defeated Bellevue West 3-0 to extend their four-game win streak.

Westside had a dominant performance at the Kicks for a Cure showcase, where they shutout Papillion-LaVista on April 23. Westside sophomores Addison Kasel and Sydney Hagen had impressive performances, which contributed to the win. Kasel scored a brace and Hagen scored a hat-trick to add up to the total of five goals in their win. Kasel was thrilled with her performance in the Kicks for a Cure match.

“I was so happy, I think the happiest that I’d been from scoring in a while.” Kasel said, “It was a very important game and when I scored it was a very important moment for me.”

Kasel also attributed a lot of her success in the game to her teammates’ support and her ability to create opportunities to score, later adding an assist in Westside’s win over Bellevue West. Westside’s positive team culture has helped Kasel improve her performance on the field.

“I think what really helped me score was my teammates.     When I went in the game before I scored, my teammates were giving me positive encouragement and were telling me to go score.” Kasel said. “My teammates told me when I went back in to score again. I also think a lot of it was my effort. I really wanted to do well and I wanted everyone else to do well too. I wanted to work hard so that I could create scoring opportunities. ”

Westside head coach Chris Dunford has been impressed with the outstanding play of Kasel and Hagen during the four-game winning streak. 

“Delighted for Sydney because she deserved to score more and has been battling a few niggling injuries and she is now fully fit” Dunford said.“We knew Addison would provide us with another attacking threat when we pulled her up from JV and she’s been brilliant.”

Westside enters the post-season ranked eighth in the NSAA wildcard standings. The Warriors have plenty of momentum heading into the district tournament.

“We’re 8-2 in our last 10 games and we’ve managed to keep 7 clean sheets (shutouts) in those 10 games, “ Dunford said. “That’s a team in good form so we fear nobody and we’re excited to try to continue writing the 2022 story.” 

The Westside girls soccer team returns to action on Monday, May 2, in their District A-6 semi-final game against Kearney at home at Phelps Field at 5:00 p.m.