And that might be all the Lady Tigers need to put them over the top.
For the second time in three years, Belton (25-2) and The Woodlands (22-1-2) will square off in a Region II quarterfinal. This time they’ll battle at Hohlt Park at 8 p.m. today, and once again a berth in the regional tournament will be on the line.
In 2006, the Lady Highlanders manhandled the Lady Tigers en route to a 3-0 whitewashing. The mismatch came on the heels of Belton’s first postseason victories at the 5A level, and the Lady Tigers were in over their heads.
“They ran all over us,” Belton senior midfielder Kelli Kimmey said of the ’06 meeting. “They had the ball the whole time, and we were just trying to keep up.
“But we’re not as nervous going into this round as we were the last two years. We know we can hang with them. We know we deserve to be here.”
Lady Tigers coach Barry Elkins echoed those sentiments.
“A lot of it is the mentality,” he said. “There are little, skinny girls that don’t get knocked off the ball. It’s not so much the size as it is the mentality.
“I think we were kind of awestruck two years ago. Now, the kids know we deserve to be here as much as anybody else.”
Tonight’s match marks Belton’s third consecutive foray into the regional quarterfinal round, and the Lady Tigers have come up empty on the previous two trips.
Last year, it was Round Rock McNeil that ended Belton’s season with a 4-0 victory. It was a game that Elkins said shared a common trait with the ’06 loss to The Woodlands.
“For two years, we’ve been knocked out in this round because we ran into teams that were more motivated than us,” Elkins said. “Again this year, there will be two good teams that deserve to be there, and the more motivated team will probably come out on top. We want to make sure that it’s us.”
The Lady Tigers - four-time defending champions of District 13-5A - reached the third round by virtue of 2-1 victories over Round Rock Westwood and Klein Oak. In both contests, senior Lexy Smith scored the decisive goal in the closing minutes.
The Lady Highlanders - champions of 15-5A - got here with a 4-1 win over Tomball and a 2-1 overtime victory against McNeil.
Belton features a 33-goal scorer in junior Chelsea Jones - a Texas A&M commitment - and a 30-goal scorer in senior Erica Michaud, who has signed with Texas State.
But the Lady Tigers’ playoff run has been anchored by their defensive effort, particularly the performances of center backs Kali Hellinghausen and Kacy Green, and center midfielders Tori Seiler and Alyse Ritchie.
“Defensively, we’ve really played well,” Elkins said. “We just haven’t made too many mistakes.”
Tonight’s victor will face the winner between Allen (22-3) and defending state champion Plano West (18-6) in a regional tournament semifinal Friday in Georgetown.
Notes: Tonight’s game is the second in a doubleheader. The 6 p.m. match - also a Region II quarterfinal - pits Round Rock against The Woodlands College Park. . . . The region’s other quarterfinal has Plano East facing Garland Rowlett.
