No. 19 Butler defeats No. 18 Johnson in overtime

No. 19 Butler defeats No. 18 Johnson in overtime

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Freshman midfielder Amy Strath slotted a ball into the left side of the net with 5:43 left in the first overtime period to lift No. 19 Butler to a 1-0 victory over No. 18 Johnson County on the road Friday afternoon.

The two teams played 90 scoreless minutes to push the game into overtime, despite both teams having multiple opportunities to score. Each team had a shot go off the crossbar in the first half with other near-misses.

In the overtime, sophomore Madison Wedekind played a cross that was partially deflected by Johnson County. The ball rolled to Strath, who played the ball on the ground. Johnson keeper Maddie Waner dove to her right, but could not reach the ball before it found the back of the net.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kelsi Langley made eight saves in the contest, including at least one save on a breakaway and another save which she dove with full extension to the right to knock the ball away.

The win gives the Grizzlies the inside edge for the second seed in the upcoming Region VI playoffs. Butler (7-1-1 in conference play) has 22 points with two conference games remaining, while Johnson (9-2-0) currently is in second place with 27 points with no conference games left. If the Grizzlies win their final two conference games, they would lock up the No. 2 seed. Hutchinson (9-0-1) has 28 points with one conference games left and will be the top seed with a win.

Butler (10-4-3 overall) will host Coffeyville at 1 p.m. Sunday at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex. The Red Ravens (10-5-1 overall, 5-4-1 conference) has won three straight games, beating Dodge City, Allen County and Hesston College.