By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

It took 16 matches, but Bowie finally repeated a most rare feat.

And this time, the Bulldogs’ goal against Westlake held up for a 1-0 win in a Class 5A Region IV quarterfinal contest Tuesday at Burger Stadium.

“We had our opportunities, but we didn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” said Westlake coach Rennie Rebe, who finished her first campaign at Westlake with a 21-4-1 record. “We had one defensive breakdown, and they scored. That was the difference.”

Bowie (19-7-0), which finished second to Westlake in District 25-5A this season, scored the only goal allowed by the Chaps during district play in a 2-1 loss that opened the 25-5A schedule. Westlake stretched its shutout streak to 15 matches with two postseason wins before the Bulldogs exploited a rare hole in the Chaps’ defense late in the first half.

Bowie’s score came on a quick counter after Bulldog keeper Nikki Gamblin saved an indirect free kick by Chap defender Lauren Peterson. As Peterson raced back to her sweeper spot, Bowie’s Allison Smith found a seam between Peterson and the left defensive back. Smith gained a step on Peterson and knocked home the shot against onrushing Westlake keeper Erin Wikelius with just 26 seconds left in the first half.

The Chaps responded with a strong second half. They forced six of their seven corner kicks after the break and fired off five shots on frame. One of Westlake’s best chances at an evener came when Lexi Iverson sprinted past Bowie’s sweeper but fired the shot just left on the goal in the 53^rd minute. Moments later, a Chap indirect kick bounced around in the box and almost resulted in an own goal before Bowie cleared the ball.

“If we would have played with a sense of urgency in the first half like we did for the second half, we would have been OK,” Rebe said. “We’ve been a little slow out of the box all year, and it caught up with us.”

Ten saves by Gamblin and tenacious marking by Bowie’s defenders helped keep the Chaps off the scoreboard as the Bulldogs qualified for a regional tournament for the first time in school history.

“We played the whole 80 minutes tonight,” Bowie coach Carrie Hoffman-Howell said. “They [the Chaps] have always come back against us, but we did it this time.”

Bowie lost 1-0 in its second meeting with the Chaps this season, but Rebe said that those previous results proved irrelevant before a raucous crowd that created a vibrant postseason atmosphere.

“In the playoffs, it’s a completely different dynamic,” she said. “Everyone is playing with that sense of urgency, and we didn’t get that until too late.”

Westlake’s defense, which lost starting defensive halfback Emma Blackwood late in the season, suffered another setback when defender Aubree Brown left the game in the 20^th minute with a left knee injury. Chelsea Harris moved to the back line, and Alexandra Perez entered the match in the midfield.

“We had some heartbreaks by losing both those defenders, but I’m proud of how we fought,” Wikelius said. “Having as many shutouts as we did, I’m proud to be apart of this team. It’s been a great year.

“We had them [Bowie] the first two times, but this is the one that mattered the most.”