Republic played the first half with a strong wind at its back, but the Lady Tigers failed to score in the first 40 minutes. It was shaping up to be another potential disappointment in what has been a disappointing season so far. But early in the second half, despite the wind in their face, the Lady Tigers put the ball in the net, then made it hold up the rest of the way, beating Bolivar (11-4) for a 1-0 win.
Cadence Lugar controlled the ball in the middle of the field about 30 yards from the goal and fed Molly Blades streaking up the left sideline. Blades cut in, beat the Bolivar goalkeeper, and angled the ball into the right corner of the net. The ball rolled across the goal line just before a Bolivar defender slid in to clear it. Josalyn Weymuth was also closing quickly and in position to finish the goal if it hadn’t angled into the net.
“My first goal is to make crosses for my team so they can have an opportunity to score. So if mine wouldn’t have went in, I was praying that my team would have at least kicked it in,” Blades said of her shot.
Once the Lady Tigers grabbed the lead, the defense took over. Goalkeep Graci Coleman made several saves and Aylora Crowe helped lead the defense in securing the shutout.
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking to be the last line of defense,” Crowe said. “You have to have confidence in your teammates and hope someone’s there to help you out if you do make a mistake somewhere.”
The non-conference win ends a four-game losing streak for the Lady Tigers, who improve to 4-10. heading into a conference road match at Carthage Thursday.