Lady Mustangs move to regional finals
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This season, Lynchburg-Clay head coach Dennis West said his players have asked him numerous times about the lone Lady Mustangs team that reached the regional semifinals as they used that team as the standard of their goals for the 2013 season.
Now they have joined that elite standard as well.
On Tuesday, after traveling for over an hour and a half via bus, the Lady Mustangs reached another goal this season by defeating the West Muskingum Lady Tornadoes by a 4-1 score at Bloom-Carroll High School, reaching the Division III Regional Finals for just the second time in school history.
This is the first time LC has reached the regional finals in eight seasons, as this group of ladies has just allowed one goal in four postseason games, improving their overall record to 19-0-1 overall.
"We played outstanding defense," LC coach Dennis West said. "We were very quick to the ball, and the midfield played extremely well.
"Keanna (Oaks) and Sydney (Cromer) were great in the middle of the field, and our defense really held their own. I can't stress how pleased I am with the way the defense reacted to their offensive surge."
LC this postseason have outscored their opponents, 19-1, including a streak of 17 straight goals before allowing their first goal of the postseason.
The reigning Southern Hills Athletic Conference and SE District champions (Jackson bracket) led by a 2-0 score at halftime Tuesday in their regional semifinal match.
Their first goal came from Shelby Stewart, as the junior scored off a cross kick from teammate and fellow junior Morgan Fittro for the one-goal advantage.
From there, the roles were reversed when Fittro scored off a cross kick from Stewart for what turned into a 2-0 halftime lead for the Lady Mustangs.
In the second half, West Holmes cut the LC advantage in half with a goal of their own, but that one-goal advantage quickly morphed back into a two-goal, then a three-goal lead as the second half continued.
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Up by just a single goal. Coach West said he turned to his assistant coach Wendy Martin (a member of the last LC regional final team) and said "We really need another goal right here." In West's words, as he said the final word of his sentence, a third LC goal was scored.
Answering West's wish for a third goal was freshman McKayla Binkley.
Binkley kicked the ball, as the kick gave the ball a lot of spin. With the ball spinning, it bounced off the turf at Bloom-Carroll and bounced over the keeper's head for the third Lady Mustangs goal and the 3-1 advantage in the second half.
For good measure, the Lady Mustangs added another goal late in the second half, again in a confusing manner.
LC put the ball into play with a corner kick, and with the ball moving around, it bounced off the keeper. Waiting at the net was freshman Lexi Waits, who sent the ball into the back of the net for her second goal of this postseason and a three-goal LC lead.
"This group continues to play better soccer everything they take the field," West said. "I'm astonished that every game it is someone different who gets our scoring, and that makes us hard to defend.
"I'm happy for the girls. They've worked hard all year, and they've been able to keep up their strong play. As a coach, I couldn't ask for anything more from the girls."
The win puts LC in the elite eight, the Division III Regional Finals, this Saturday at 3 p.m. (at Bellbrook High School), as they will now face Middletown Bishop Fenwick, who defeated Columbus Academy, 2-0 Tuesday.
This postseason, Middletown Bishop Fenwick (a No. 1 seed in the Southwest 5 District) has also defeated Middletown Christian (7-0), Waynesville (1-0) and Cincinnati Mariemont (2-1).
Now they have joined that elite standard as well.
On Tuesday, after traveling for over an hour and a half via bus, the Lady Mustangs reached another goal this season by defeating the West Muskingum Lady Tornadoes by a 4-1 score at Bloom-Carroll High School, reaching the Division III Regional Finals for just the second time in school history.
This is the first time LC has reached the regional finals in eight seasons, as this group of ladies has just allowed one goal in four postseason games, improving their overall record to 19-0-1 overall.
"We played outstanding defense," LC coach Dennis West said. "We were very quick to the ball, and the midfield played extremely well.
"Keanna (Oaks) and Sydney (Cromer) were great in the middle of the field, and our defense really held their own. I can't stress how pleased I am with the way the defense reacted to their offensive surge."
LC this postseason have outscored their opponents, 19-1, including a streak of 17 straight goals before allowing their first goal of the postseason.
The reigning Southern Hills Athletic Conference and SE District champions (Jackson bracket) led by a 2-0 score at halftime Tuesday in their regional semifinal match.
Their first goal came from Shelby Stewart, as the junior scored off a cross kick from teammate and fellow junior Morgan Fittro for the one-goal advantage.
From there, the roles were reversed when Fittro scored off a cross kick from Stewart for what turned into a 2-0 halftime lead for the Lady Mustangs.
In the second half, West Holmes cut the LC advantage in half with a goal of their own, but that one-goal advantage quickly morphed back into a two-goal, then a three-goal lead as the second half continued.
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Up by just a single goal. Coach West said he turned to his assistant coach Wendy Martin (a member of the last LC regional final team) and said "We really need another goal right here." In West's words, as he said the final word of his sentence, a third LC goal was scored.
Answering West's wish for a third goal was freshman McKayla Binkley.
Binkley kicked the ball, as the kick gave the ball a lot of spin. With the ball spinning, it bounced off the turf at Bloom-Carroll and bounced over the keeper's head for the third Lady Mustangs goal and the 3-1 advantage in the second half.
For good measure, the Lady Mustangs added another goal late in the second half, again in a confusing manner.
LC put the ball into play with a corner kick, and with the ball moving around, it bounced off the keeper. Waiting at the net was freshman Lexi Waits, who sent the ball into the back of the net for her second goal of this postseason and a three-goal LC lead.
"This group continues to play better soccer everything they take the field," West said. "I'm astonished that every game it is someone different who gets our scoring, and that makes us hard to defend.
"I'm happy for the girls. They've worked hard all year, and they've been able to keep up their strong play. As a coach, I couldn't ask for anything more from the girls."
The win puts LC in the elite eight, the Division III Regional Finals, this Saturday at 3 p.m. (at Bellbrook High School), as they will now face Middletown Bishop Fenwick, who defeated Columbus Academy, 2-0 Tuesday.
This postseason, Middletown Bishop Fenwick (a No. 1 seed in the Southwest 5 District) has also defeated Middletown Christian (7-0), Waynesville (1-0) and Cincinnati Mariemont (2-1).