In past years, the games would have been important for two reasons It was a region contest and bragging rights were on the line. Since both teams are in new regions this year, the only thing that mattered was who could lay claim to the county championship.
For the girls, neither team will get to brag this year as the two teams battled to a tie.
Going into the game, AHS had been scoring a lot of goals and Douglas County had been playing good defense. Alexander showed their offensive prowess by dominating possession most of the game. But true to form, the Lady Tigers bent but did not break down often on defense.
Douglas County keeper Danielle Cavalcante showed impressive keeper skills all night. She made a diving save just 10 minutes into the game off a rocket by Alexander's Kat Lackey. DC did not have a shot on goal for the first 30 minutes.
The Lady Cougars keep building momentum and moving the ball deep in Lady Tiger territory. Each time the effort was thwarted either by a save from Cavalcante or a block from the Lady Tiger back line of Alex Bigby and Briona Brown.
Finally,Teonna Hawkins from Alexander got a free shot from outside the 18 and laced a strike that was too high for the DC keeper to reach. The half would end with AHS up 1-0.
In the second half, Alexander had good shots on goal at 10 minutes and at 18 minutes but neither shot could find the net. With 30 minutes left Noel Welch had a clear shot on the Tiger goal that sailed high over the post.
With about five minutes to play, Douglas County had its first real opportunity to score. But their shot was deflected by the AHS keeper. The corner kick that followed missed and Alexander took possession.
With less than two minutes to play, DC received the ball deep in Alexander territory. There was a mad scramble by the Cougar defense to clear the ball. But Lady Tiger Lindsay Platt would not be denied. She gained possession of the ball among a ton of AHS defenders and righted herself to make a shot. The Lady Cougar keeper dove and deflected the shot but the forward spin on the ball carried it into the net. , tying the game, and that is how it would end.
Boys Game
The Douglas County boys soccer team defeated Alexander in a high intensity matchup at Cougar stadium Friday night. The first half saw an abundance of defensive pressure for both teams. It was difficult for either side to find an advantage after crossing midfield thanks to stellar feet defensively. In fact, there was only one shot on goal between both teams in the entire half.
Alexander forced several corner kicks but DC's ability to win most of the balls inside the box resulted in a quick clearing. With the first half ending without a goal, it was apparent that the game would come down to who could force more offensive attacks.
The defensive intensity continued throughout most of the second half. However, fatigue was becoming a factor and the DC attackers consistently tested the Alexander endurance, sending several balls in the box.
With the final minutes of regulation running down, DC midfielder initiated a play, sending a ball into open space within 40 yards of the goal. From there, chaos ensued until the ball deflected to DC forward Jordan Alexander who handled the rest, scoring a vital goal with eight minutes remaining.
Although the goal gave the Tigers the advantage in a defensive battle, Alexander switched to put out the remainder of energy they had in an effort to tie the game. However the DC defense put a calm to every storm the Alexander attacked created, sealing the county win.
Post a Comment