Speed, crisp passing, ball control, communication and all-around team hustle set the tempo for Pierre, and the Lady Govs rode that from start to finish.

"Based on who Lincoln has beat and who we lost to, I don’t think Lincoln thought we would pose a threat to them," said Lady Govs head coach Sidney Zanin. "Play in the Sioux Falls area is always a bit more physical and I told the girls to dish it out. Prove that we are the better team. I had all my starters back in the lineup and it was a real fun game to watch."

Pierre’s direct shots on goal logged in at 14, but shots that missed the mark numbered much higher than that. Pierre’s attack began within the first few minutes of the game but the first goal that counted didn’t come until the 44-minute mark when Paige Burkett made a pass to Yutzil Rodriguez, who scored the goal.

"Lincoln’s goalie is one of the best in the state and we kept her pretty busy," said Zanin.

The Lady Govs went into the half with a 1-0 lead and came out of the halftime break even hungrier. At the 50-minute mark, Elizabeth Knutson sent a pass up the middle when a Lincoln defender committed a foul in the box. Rodriguez took the shot and scored goal No. 2 on the penalty kick. Four minutes later, Pierre was awarded a free kick about 40 yards out. When defender Avery Askew sent a beautiful pass toward the goal, Mollie Holden reacted quickly and put her head on the ball but the shot was deflected by Lincoln.

With no time to turn and face the goal, Rodriguez found the ball at her feet and back-kicked the ball but it hit the cross bar on the net. Knutson managed to be in the right place to put the deflected ball in the net for the Lady Govs’ third goal. Paige Burkett was in the middle of the pack but missed all the action.

"I saw Avery kick the ball but I got pushed to the ground. When I managed to look up, I saw Liz, who was right above me make the shot," said Burkett. "I had no idea what happened."

Lincoln managed to score on a break away at the 65-minute mark but it was all Pierre from there on out, as the Lady Govs won the game 3-1.

A mere 15 hours after defeating Lincoln, the Lady Govs found themselves warming up to take on the O’Gorman Knights.

"The girls were tired from the last night’s battle and it showed on the field. We were not as sharp and fast, but we were well-matched with O’Gorman," said Zanin.

Senior Alexa Berg agreed with Zanin. "My legs were heavy and I could not get up to full speed today."

O’Gorman scored first at the 15-minute mark but Pierre answered with a goal at the 30-minute mark to tie the game at 1-1. Berg received a pass from Linsey Peterson and took the ball down the left side, sending a shot at the goal that hit the cross bar. While the ball bounced up and down between the cross bar and the ground, O’Gorman’s goalie was a bit disoriented, trying to locate the ball.

Peterson, who was crashing the goal after her pass, capitalized on the goalie’s confusion and put the ball home.

Pierre managed to put 12 shots on goal while O’Gorman recorded 13 in what proved to be a very physical game.

"This game could have gone either way. It’s good to come away with a tie instead of a loss," said Zanin.

The Lady Govs moved into the No. 5-ranked spot and now sport a record of 4-2-2. They will travel next weekend to take on No. 14 Mitchell on Friday and No. 6 Yankton Saturday.

In junior varsity action, Pierre lost to Lincoln, 1-0, and tied, 1-1, with O’Gorman. They are ranked fifth in the State among JV teams and hold a record of 3-1-3.