It was the battle of the black and blue on Tuesday evening, Sept. 20 as the Washington Lady Lions hosted the Miami Trace Lady Panthers in a rivalry soccer match.
The first half was very intense and physical from start to finish, with both teams trading several unsuccessful shots on goal. The score was 0-0 at the half.
The second half featured even more aggressiveness and intensity from both teams, with the score still tied heading into the last 15 minutes of the game.
That changed with just under 14 minutes remaining, as a WCH player was called for a foul inside their penalty area. This allowed MT to send freshman Hailey Webster out for a penalty kick. The kick from Webster connected into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Lady Panthers a 1-0 lead late in the second half.
In the final ten minutes, the Lady Lions were not able to get any shots on goal as the MT defense held tough. This made the final score: MT 1, WCH 0.
Statistically for MT, Jana Griffith led the Lady Panthers with nine shots on goal. Webster had two shots on goal, one of which was the game-winner. Hannah Houck, Katherine Hynes, Gabrielle Thoroman, Sophia Schirm had one shot on goal. At goalie, Gabriella Miller had seven saves.
Statistically for Washington, Addison Chambers led the Lady Lions with five shots on goal. Kaithlyn Maquiling had three shots on goal, and Jordan McCane had one shot on goal. At goalie, Calee Ellars had three saves.
Miami Trace head coach Chad Tolbert spoke about the victory after the game.
“Last year, our last game against them, they tied us, so we knew coming into it that it would be tough. The first half we played scared and tentative. Our halftime talk was, ‘What are we scared of? If you go 100% and you lose, then you lose.’ So, the second half really showed. I don’t know how many shots they had in the first half, but I know they only had two in the second half.”
He finished, “It’s always intense because we’ve got friends on both sides. Some of these girls have played club soccer together for years. These are one of those games where it’s unfortunate that somebody has to lose.”
The victory brings the Lady Panthers record to 4-5-1. MT only won three games last year, so they have already surpassed their win total from a season ago. The Lady Panthers are back in action on Thursday, Sept. 22 on the road against the Lady Tigers of McClain. This is the second match up between the two teams, as the first contest ended in a tie.
Washington head coach Brandan Ellars also spoke about the game.
“We knew it was going to be physical coming in. These girls, half of them play together in club ball. They know each other very well. They know each other’s games very well, so it’s always going to be a battle when you get girls playing against each other that play with each other year-round. Overall, I think our girls did well.”
He finished, “We’ve lost a couple really tight ones. Now we’re getting into the second half of the season. We know what we have got to do. We’re continuing to get better and I’m proud of all of them. Anybody that’s come to our games over the last two or three games, I think they can see the progress even though the score is not where we want it. We’re working more as a team; we’re looking like a team; we’re playing like a team. Now we’ve just got to start finishing like a team. We’ve got to play the full 80 minutes. I’m really proud of the way our defense plays and the way our midfielders are playing. Just overall, a good team effort. We’ve just got to give it a little bit more there at the end.”
With the loss, Washington falls to 2-6-1. They are back in action on Thursday, Sept. 22 on the road against the Lady Cavs of Chillicothe. The first time the two teams met this season, Chillicothe won by a score of 10-0.
