Wylie junior Kennedy Butler dribbles the ball around Rockwall-Heath freshman goalkeeper Sarah Webb and scores her second goal of Friday’s 3-1 double-overtime bi-district playoff win over the Lady Hawks at Wylie ISD Stadium. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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Before overtime began, Wylie head girls soccer coach Shelby Ternus glanced down the bench and noticed something concerning.

Junior forward Kennedy Butler, the team’s leading scorer, was visibly upset.

Ternus said Butler was frustrated with her performance through regulation in Friday’s Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff match against Rockwall-Heath. But instead of letting the moment linger, Ternus pulled her aside for a quick, direct message.

That conversation changed everything.

Butler responded by scoring the go-ahead goal just 17 seconds into overtime and added another in double overtime, lifting Wylie to a 3-1 victory at Wylie ISD Stadium.

“She was crying and saying, ‘I was playing really bad,’” Ternus said. “I told her, ‘Dude, this game isn’t over.’ I literally said, ‘Look at me. You’re about to change this game.’ And she did. I’m so proud of that kid.”

The match lived up to its billing, featuring two strong teams that entered with a combined 37-7-2 record — Wylie at 19-5 and Rockwall-Heath at 18-2-2. Despite Wylie generating more scoring chances in regulation, the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 at the end of the second half.

Senior midfielder Marlene Reyna gave Wylie a 1-0 lead with 29:25 remaining in the second half. After a corner kick led to a series of headers in the box, Reyna gathered the ball, took a step to her right and fired a shot into the net.

Rockwall-Heath answered just over seven minutes later, converting off a corner kick to tie the match.

“Rockwall-Heath is a fantastic team,” Ternus said. “They play hard, they play smart. But we spent a lot of time preparing for this game, and we were ready.”

Once overtime began, it was all Wylie.

Just 17 seconds into the first extra period, Butler broke through. After absorbing contact from a defender, she regained control, cut back toward the middle and struck a left-footed shot into the net for a 2-1 lead.

Less than two minutes into double overtime, Butler struck again. She dribbled past Rockwall-Heath freshman goalkeeper Sarah Webb, who had gone to the ground attempting to make a play, and finished into the open net to extend the lead to 3-1.

“At first, I was a bit nervous,” Butler said. “But once we got into the game, we knew it was winnable. We just kept going and got it done.”

Rockwall-Heath made one final push late.

With just over two minutes remaining, a Lady Hawks forward broke free on a potential equalizing run, but Wylie goalkeeper Georgia Christian came off her line and made a decisive sliding save to preserve the lead.

“All season long, I told Georgia, ‘Stay home, stay in your goal,’” Ternus said. “She picked the perfect moment to come out and challenge that ball and got all ball. It was a great play.”