She was hobbled throughout the postseason with a strained leg muscle, an injury that relegated Lake Braddock senior defender Kat Weiler to the sidelines far too often for her taste.
Weiler, the Patriot District player of the year, isn’t one for watching. So missing three playoff games and parts of two others in the Group AAA state tournament was pure agony. In Saturday’s state championship game against Frank W. Cox, Weiler again had to bide her time. But when it finally came she made it count.
Weiler scored a goal in the 46th minute and then added the assist on senior forward Lauren Fleming’s eventual game-winner in the first period of overtime as Lake Braddock won its second consecutive state championship, 2-1.
“Very anxious. Wanting to play. ‘Get me in’ the whole first half,” said Lake Braddock coach Liz Pike of Weiler’s reaction to not starting on Saturday because of her injury. “We kept telling her to relax. Then in the second half, a goal and an assist in overtime. That’s why Kat is one of the best players in the state.”
Weiler didn’t look hobbled on the game-winner, racing up the left touchline, dodging defenders through to the goal line and finding Fleming open in front for her tally. The Bruins still had to hold on for the rest of that five-minute period and another before securing the championship trophy again.
“Kat was awesomefor us the entire year and worked too hard not to play in these last few games,” Fleming said. “I’m just glad I could take that pass and put it in for us.”
Weiler’s right quadriceps injury somewhat hampered her defensive abilities, where she excelled for much of the season. But she was an offensive force, too, finishing the year with nine goals. The first-team All-Northern Region selection will play college soccer at Pittsburgh.
“All of us have grown up playing together, ever since youth soccer, so it’s really special to go out this way,” Weiler said. “We had everything to lose this year because we were defending state champs and that definitely put some weight on our shoulders. But we came through in the end.”
So we meet again
» Lake Braddock repeated as the Group AAA state champion against a familiar opponent. The Bruins beat Frank W. Cox in last season’s championship game as well, 3-0.
» The Bruins tied West Springfield for most state championships by winning the title for the fifth time.
» Lake Braddock won back-to-back at states despite not winning a Northern Region title in either year. The Bruins lost both times to Centreville. They also lost to West Springfield in the Patriot District final this season.
