State-ranked Lady Mustangs stay in battle for 1st; defeat North Adams

DODSONVILLE — There is a battle for first place in Highland County for the top spot in the standings of the girls soccer Southern Hills Athletic Conference, and Monday night it was Lynchburg-Clay doing what was needed to be done to defeat the North Adams Lady Green Devils.

The Lady Mustangs stayed undefeated in SHAC play by defending their home field against NAHS, winning by a 1-0 score, as the game-winning goal came off a kick by senior Jade Massey with 19:56 left in the second half, with the goal assisted by both Brya McClain and Aubrey Slack.

“The girls have just been playing outstanding soccer,” LCHS head coach Dennis West said. “North Adams always brings their ‘A’ game. No matter when and where we play them, we know we are going to have to play our best to stay with them and to beat them.

“The goal is what we live on when we play great soccer. Pass, pass, shot, and we had Brya and Aubrey set up that pass with combination, and the ball went across to one of the best players in the Southeast, if not the best player, and that’s Jade Massey. She’s been our best player, and she can score on any team and has all year long, and that’s outstanding. That’s what got us this win, that passing combination and good movement.”

Massey now has 14 goals this season and 53 goals thus far in her four seasons at LCHS. McClain’s assist was her second of the season, and Slack’s assist gives her three this year.

LCHS also stayed in sixth place in the OSSCA Division III state rankings on Monday, which their opponent North Adams also received votes in the rankings as well.

As for Monday’s game, the Lady Mustangs had strong play from defense to keep NAHS off the scoreboard for their fourth shutout of the ’23 season.

Maybe the most impressive part of the game for LCHS was their offense that turned into defense. In the final four minutes, Lynchburg-Clay did their best to run time off the clock while keeping the ball away from NAHS as they battled tough to keep the ball in the corner furtherest away from the goal for North Adams, especially the play of Allie Waits, who battled tough to keep North Adams away from the ball as the final minutes ticked away.

“Coach Silvas at Eastern, when he was at Western Brown, was the first and only person who used that, and it drove us crazy,” West said of the strategy at the end of the game. “That was the first time we’ve seen it, and we haven’t practiced that, but a couple of the girls, when I said ‘take it to the corner,’ understood what we wanted to do. If you are trying to take time off the clock, that’s just a great way to do it, and if they do get the ball, they are way down at the other end of the field.

“It worked out well and will be in our hip pocket from here on out, that’s for sure.”

Next for the Lady Mustangs is a Thursday road non-conference game at Unioto High School, facing the UHS Lady Shermans (6-5-1) with a start time scheduled for 6 p.m. UHS has been shut out six times this season, as they have scored 30 goals and have allowed 20. LCHS has scored 25 goals in ’23 and have allowed six.

BOX SCORE
NAHS    0 0 — 0
LCHS    0 1 — 1