Columbus falls to McIntosh in final

It was a tale of two halves for Columbus in the Class 5A state championship game on Saturday against McIntosh.

In the first half, the Lady Blue Devils were every bit the team that had won 14 games against one of the toughest schedules in the state en route to its second state title appearance in four years.

In the second, they couldn’t keep that level of play, and it cost them.

Columbus allowed McIntosh to score four goals in the final 40 minutes, falling to the Lady Chiefs 4-0 and ending its championship pursuit one win short. It was McIntosh’s 10th title, while Columbus, which has grown steadily as a program over the past 15 years, is still missing the biggest trophy, 0-3 in state finals.

“It’s hard to feel anything but a little disappointment right now,” coach Rusty Oliver said after the game. “I’ll reflect on it and, of course, I’ll be glad that we got here today. Right now, it’s just hard not to think about that second half and that it could have been a completely different game.”

After battling to a stalemate in the first half, McIntosh started putting a bit more pressure on the Columbus defense to open the second. Caroline Laux had a clear look for the Lady Chiefs less than four minutes into the second, but the ball went left of the goal leaving the game scoreless.

It potentially could have been a big miss for McIntosh, considering how stingy both defenses had been throughout the first 43 minutes. Laux would have more chances as the game went along, though, and she wouldn’t miss again.

She scored her first in the 48th minute on a corner kick from Chandler Witucki. Witucki served it from the right corner, and Laux headed the ball into the back of the net to break the tie.

Nine minutes later, Witucki earned another assist, this time to Taylor Malasek. McIntosh had another corner kick, which was saved by Columbus keeper Sam Munyon, who tipped the ball backward over the crossbar. McIntosh got another corner kick and was successful on the second try.

Columbus had a couple of looks down 2-0 that could have revitalized its chances. Kimberly May had a shot go wide left with about 20 minutes remaining, and Gigi Schorr had one saved with about 19 minutes on the clock.

In the 72nd minute, though, Laux scored her second goal to put the game on ice, 3-0. Laux added on more with two minutes left to earn the hat trick.

“It was really two games,” Oliver said. “We played 0-0 in the first half, went into the locker room and both had our chances. We came out in the second half and just made mental mistakes. We did some things that just can’t happen.”

The loss was painful, but it was the end of a season that Oliver said was a success for his team.

“Getting here today, we know it’s not what we wanted the outcome to be, but as far as the program goes, it’s a big deal,” he said.

And the Lady Blue Devils have all but one of their players returning next season.

“We aren’t losing much,” Oliver said. “Hopefully, they’ll remember what this feels like and it will motivate them to work a little harder next year and get back here.”

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 8:07 PM with the headline "Columbus falls to McIntosh in final."