Highland showed the mettle and experience of a defending championship team Thursday on the final night of the regular season.

The Lady Hawks soccer team wasn't flustered by an early goal, got down to business and methodically turned back host Basha, 4-1, in a Division I match at Jim Wall Stadium.

"I was impressed with how we responded to their goal," Highland coach John Berzins said.  "There wasn't any panic. They took it upon themselves to go get it back."

Basha (10-8-2 overall, 5-5-2 power-ranking games) rode the momentum of Senior Night ceremonies to strike in the match's 3rd minute. Junior forward Jazmarie Mader was able to secure a loose ball with plenty of space from about 10 yards that had enough on it to trickle off the fingers of Highland keeper Ashley March for a 1-0 lead.

That goal kept Basha in front nearly to the middle of the first half. That's when Highland went to work to tally three times in 11 minutes. Forward-midfielder Brena Jarvis, one of the the Lady Hawks smaller players, scored twice (17th and 28th minute), off assists from Jaden DeGracie (throw-ins) and Ashley Hatch. Jarvis tapped home both her goals, getting lost in tight quarters at the goal mouth. Highland's Brianna Hatch got off a shot from 25 yards out in the 20th minute that grazed the bottom of the cross bar and found the back of the net to tive her team the lead for good, 2-1.

DeGracie added the final goal fo the night in the 44th minute off a cross from Ashley Hatch. Ashley Hatch had two assists and DeGracie two assists (41 on the season) to go with her second-half goal. Ashley Hatch and Paige Morris, Highland's top scorers wtih 54 goals between them, did not score. Not a big deal to Berzins, who saw his team improve to 19-2-2 overall and 11-0-1 prg). Highland was ranked No. 3 in the D-I power-rankings prior to Thursday's contest.

"We're not a one-horse show," Berzins said. "I haven't enjoyed a four-game stretch like we just finished as much as this one. We've played with a team-first mentality."

Basha, which entered the match as Division I's No. 14 seed, will  have to wait until Friday afternoon to see if it was able to cling to the top 16 and qualify for the state tournament that begins Tuesday January 29. If Basha does qualify, it can thank it's strength of schedule. The Lady Bears may be the only team in D-I, D-II or D-III to be .500 n power-ranking games and still qualify for state.

"I don't know, we'll have to see," Basha coach Greg Johnson said of his team's playoff chances. "I hope we still can slip in. I think the worst win or loss we've had came against teams who were no lower than 23......

"They got us again on those set pieces. I think the last four times we've played them I'd say at least 80 percent of their goals were off set pieces."