Lady Tigers defeat Peebles for 4th straight win

The McClain varsity girls soccer team improved to 4-0 on the season after defeating Peebles, 6-0 Saturday afternoon on McClain Field in Greenfield.

It also was the Lady Tigers’ third shutout of the new season in which they have given up just one goal while scoring an amazing 43.

The usually fast-starting McClain girls scored only one goal over the first 30-plus minutes of play on an unassisted shot by Paisley Pryor but got things going at the end and netted three straight in a six-minute span.

Larah Henson scored the Lady Tigers’ second goal at the 5:56 mark of the opening half, followed by Pryor’s second score with 2:09 left. Henson got her second goal at the 1:41 mark, making it 4-0 at the break.

“I think the heat today played a part in us getting off to a slow start plus it being a Saturday game makes it have a little different mindset,” McClain head coach Blain Bergstrom said after the game. “But, we pushed through it and got some goals and made some good plays when we needed to.”

Pryor scored her third goal (hat trick) of the match two minutes into the second half, and the Lady Tigers led 5-0. Addison Olaker finished off the scoring in the contest with 19:58 remaining for McClain with an unassisted goal.

“Our defense is really playing well right now,” said Bergstrom. “They made a few mistakes today, but we complement ourselves back there very well too, so if somebody misses the ball, we’ve got someone to back them up.

“Kenzie Wise, our keeper, hasn’t had to make too many saves back there, which is nice, and I know she gets bored, but as a goalie, if you don’t have very many saves, that means your defense is playing well. We start FAC play next week with Washington and Jackson, so she’s probably going to get a little more action back there.

“We’re 4-0 now, and I can’t be disappointed with that,” Bergstrom continued. “Our girls know they can play better than they did today, they just need to keep working and improving in every game and come out Tuesday night ready to go.”

The Lady Tigers host Washington Tuesday, Aug. 27 with a 5 p.m. start time, then travel to Jackson Thursday, Aug. 28 to battle the defending FAC champs.

• • •

The McClain Lady Tigers played an outstanding soccer match on Thursday (Aug. 22) as they went on the road to Ross County and defeated the Zane Trace Lady Pioneers by a 10-1 score.

Three Lady Tigers scored two goals each and four other McClain players also scored goals, plus ZTHS had an own goal counting towards the MHS final total of 10 goals.

Scoring two goals a piece were Addy Olaker, Lindsey Hutchinson and Paisley Pryor.

Scoring one goal each for McClain were Larah Henson (one assist), Mylie Lovett (one assist) and Bailey Parson (one assist).

Karlee McGlone finished with an assist in the win for MHS.

Zane Trace’s goal was off a free kick in the second half, as that was the first goal of the season allowed by MHS in 2024.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.