When Festus High sophomore Kaylin Brewer scored a goal in the 10th minute to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead against Mehlville High in the Class 3 District 1 soccer championship game on Memorial Day, it was the first goal the red-hot Panthers had allowed since May 4.
“I just curled it into the top left corner,” said Brewer, who in two seasons is the school’s career scoring leader with more than 60 goals.
Brewer will have to wait until 2027 to score her next goal for Festus because a minute after she scored, Mehlville senior Irelynn Stover tied the game 1-1 at Windsor High in Imperial.
Festus senior goalie Josie Hensley made one great save after another to keep the fourth-seeded Tigers even with the Panthers. But freshman Addie Arnaiz blasted a rising shot into the upper corner over a fully extended Hensley in the 42nd minute, and despite a couple of late rushes by Brewer, Mehlville (18-4) made the lead stand up for virtually the entire second half in a 2-1 victory.
“I’m so proud of these young ladies and the circumstances they had to put up with this week,” Festus head coach Aaron Portell said. “We beat a Sikeston team that beat us two weeks earlier. We beat Windsor a second time.”
Portell led the Festus girls basketball team to the Class 5 quarterfinals in March and the Tiger soccer team to a school-record 16 wins.
“(Brewer) could have had more this year if we didn’t have to move her back to more of a defensive role,” said Portell. “She sacrificed and did what we needed her to do. Her career’s going to go beyond her career at Festus.”
Hensley is a club soccer player who just this year decided to play for a high school. She’s signed to play at the University of Pennsylvania.
“She’s a good one,” Portell said. “We’re fortunate to have her. She didn’t have to play for us, and she comes out. That tells you about her character.”
Panther freshman goalie Summer Santoya did a good job of controlling the box and making Tiger forwards rush in, before snatching up the ball and playing it forward. The game started at noon and the players were fully exposed to the sun with temperatures in the 80s. Long rushes depleted players quickly.
“I knew we were going to score off a corner kick or free kick, some set piece,” Portell said. “We got that first one early, but we were more defensive-minded today. I thought if we could have gotten one of those corners in, or some break our way … if this got to overtime or PKs, we had the right keeper in the net.”
Festus (16-6-1) shut out No. 1 seeded Windsor 2-0 twice in 10 days. The first one May 12 clinched second place in the Jefferson County Activities Association. Class 2 District 1 champion St. Vincent (19-2) won the JCAA and is vying for a second trip in a row to the final four. The Tigers blanked the Owls a second time in the district semifinals May 23.
Coleman sets Windsor scoring record
Lillie Coleman graduated from Windsor High on May 20.
She took a different stage at her new alma mater the next night when the Owls girls soccer team opened the Class 3 District 1 tournament against De Soto High (8). Coleman scored six goals in an 8-0 shutout over the Dragons, giving her 30 and Windsor’s single-season record. A second-team all-state selection in 2025, Coleman also holds the school record for career assists (40).
“You have games like this where you score against a lesser opponent, but Lillie scored both goals against Northwest (2-1 win), four against St. Clair (6-0 win),” Windsor head coach Mike Hutchison said. “She’s been consistent all year. She’s been on almost every game.”
Coleman’s sister, Carlea, a sophomore forward, assisted on three of Lillie’s goals and has nine goals, 11 assists and 29 points this season. Senior forward Jordan Rosvall added a goal and two assists, and is one of the Owls’ leading scorers (11 goals, 7 assists, 29 points).
“(Against De Soto), Lillie was receiving crosses from her sister and the wings,” Hutchison said. “Generally, she’ll get the ball, make a move and get a good shot from the corner from the top of the box. When you score that many, it’s diversified.”
Hawks take step ahead
When Hillsboro (6, 13-11-1) upset Poplar Bluff (3, 10-5) 2-1 in the first round of District 1, it was the first district win for the Hawks since 2019. It was also their eighth win in a row. Freshman sensation Parker Bahr scored her team-leading 25th and 26th goals of the season. Hillsboro was shut out 3-0 by Mehlville in the semifinals.