Jade King wasn’t going to lose her focus despite losing a couple of her teammates.

The Wildcats’ junior forward feathered a shot past Burnsville’s goalkeeper Darby Lofthus with 1:30 remaining in the first half of overtime, helping Eagan overcome injuries to two key players and defeat rival Burnsville 2-1 in South Suburban Conference play Thursday at Eagan High School.

The Blaze (5-5-0, 3-3-0), ranked No. 10 in the Minnesota High School Soccer Coaching Association’s Class 2A poll, battled the Wildcats (11-0-0, 6-0-0), No. 2, the entire game and King knew she needed to keep her undermanned team sharp in overtime to avoid Eagan suffering its first loss. Wildcats senior starters Hannah Jacobson, a defender, and Margaret Harings, a midfielder, left the game with injuries and did not return.

“I did not want to lose this game,” King said. “After I scored, I wanted to make sure that we finished the game.”

Eagan head coach Turk Ozturk knows King is the type of player who makes sure the team won't lose its focus.

“She’s a playmaker, and at times we need her to go at players,” Ozturk said. “She’s a leader both on and off the field.”

King, the Wildcats’ leading scorer this season with six goals, made sure the Wildcats finished in overtime while Sam Anderson led Eagan to a good finish at end of the first half in regulation time.

The junior midfielder scored on a header in the 40th minute to give the Wildcats a 1-0 leading heading into halftime.

Hannah Mitby scored the equalizer for Burnsville with one second remaining, sending the game into overtime.

The Wildcats have experience dealing with the loss of injured players and know how to keep their focus, junior forwardTaylor Kenealy said.

“We had a lot of injuries at the beginning of the season,” said Kenealy, sporting a cast of her own from a preseason wrist injury. “We learned to adjust (to the injuries).”

Kenealy recorded the assist on King’s game-winning goal. Soccer isn't the only sport in which the pair partner up.

King and Kenealy are members of Eagan’s 400- and 800-meter relay squads and participated in the state track meet last spring.

Speed is a key component to the Wildcats’ game, but they also have soccer skills.

“We like to connect with passing and keeping the ball on the ground as a team,” King said.

Eagan is happy the two connected again Thursday.

Junior forward Jade King scored on an assist from junior forward Taylor Kenealy with 1:30 remaining in the first half of overtime, giving Eagan a 2-1 victory over Burnsville in South Suburban Conference play Thursday at Eagan High School.

The Wildcats (11-0-0, 6-0-0), ranked No. 2 in the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaching Association’s Class 2A poll, took a 1-0 lead on a header by junior midfielder Sam Anderson in the final minute of the first half.

Burnsville (5-5-0, 3-3-0), ranked No. 10-2A, forced the game into overtime when junior midfielder Hannah Mitby scored on a long-range shot, tying the game with one second remaining in regulation time.

Eagan travels to top-ranked Eastview (11-0-0, 5-0-0) Tuesday in conference play. Burnsville hosts Bloomington Jefferson (2-7-0, 1-2-0) in nonconference action Saturday.

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