After this past offseason’s soccer realignment, the stakes got even higher in one of the biggest rivalries in the First Region, with Marshall County and McCracken County now sharing the Second District. On Thursday night, the two programs met for the first time with district seeding on the line in doubleheader action.
Lady Marshals 1, Lady Mustangs 0
In the earlier of two kickoffs, the Lady Marshals would earn the nod in a close one, holding onto an early lead to pick up a hard-fought 1-0 decision, and the early edge in the district standings.
“It’s huge, getting that first district win off of McCracken. You only get one first, this was a great opportunity for us to get ahead in the district, and we took advantage of it,” Marshall County head coach Michael Boone said. “Hopefully we can do the same when they come to our field, but we know they’ll be ready and wanting to avenge that.”With both sides pushing a high pace from the opening kickoff, it didn’t take long for a breakthrough to come. The opening goal would go the way of the Lady Marshals, just over five minutes into play. Capitalizing on a failed clearance by the Lady Mustangs, a quick pass put forward would give Addi Wall a chance with goalkeeper Addison Smith stranded out of position, a chance she would put away for the 1-0 lead.
From there, the Lady Mustangs and Lady Marshals were evenly matched throughout the first half, with much of the possession fought for along the midfield. Although chances came for both sides, Wall’s strike would stand as the difference, with Marshall taking the narrow lead into the break.
Throughout the second half, the Lady Mustangs pushed forward, looking for the equalizer. Despite a number of quality chances, Marshall keeper Savannah Dodd was sharp, turning away a number of chances, including a goal-line clearance off a corner 15 minutes into the half.
“Savannah had to come up with a couple of fantastic saves for us, but that’s just something we’re accustomed to her doing,” Boone said, lauding his goalkeeper’s efforts. “On the bench we’ll still just look to each other and wonder ‘how the heck did she do that’, but we know she’s always able to do things like that, and will.”
After another fingertip save from Dodd kept the lead intact, the Lady Marshals would alleviate some pressure, holding plenty of possession in the Lady Mustang’s half. While both sides continued to see chances as the clock kept ticking, Wall’s goal would stay the only thing separating the two late. Eventually, the clock would run dry on McCracken, as the Lady Marshals would collect the crucial district win, 1-0.
“We’re proud of the effort tonight,” Boone concluded. “’Hard-fought’ can be a bit of a cliché, but it’s a good way to describe it...We’re going to see [McCracken] multiple more times, we’ll adjust, they’ll adjust, and it’ll be a battle like this every time.”
Mustangs 1, Marshals 0
In the later game of the night, a familiar story would play out on the scoreboard, with an early goal holding firm as the game winner. However, this one would go the way of McCracken County, with a stellar effort from senior goalkeeper Lane Grace powering the Mustangs to the 1-0 victory.
Similar to the earlier game of the evening, a defensive mistake would lead to the first goal of the game, this time going the way of the Mustangs. A misplayed back-pass by the Marshals would fall straight to Mason Atnip, who took one touch to round the goalkeeper, slotting his shot home for the 1-0 lead less than five minutes in.
While the Mustangs held most of the possession through the half, looking to double their advantage, the Marshals would find chances to sting on the counterattack, forcing McCracken keeper Lane Grace into action several times. However, with an equal effort from Carson Lovett in net for the Marshals, Atnip’s early goal would be the only one of the half, as the Mustangs headed into halftime with the 1-0 edge.
Shortly into the second half, Grace and the Mustangs defense would again be called upon as the Marshals applied early pressure, coming up with a pair of tough saves inside the first three minutes.
“The defense played great in front of me today. Once we get rolling, it just builds confidence,” Grace said, following the game. “You make a couple of saves, you feel good, and it just keeps on going.”
The Marshals would stay on the front foot though, knocking on the door with consistent pressure on the Mustang defense. Their biggest chance of the night would come with 13 minutes to play, with a foul in the box handing them a chance from the penalty spot. However, Grace would come through in spades again for McCracken, making the save to keep the lead intact.
“I felt confident all night and was confident during the penalty. It’s something we work on a lot,” Grace continued, following the game. “I just made an educated guess, and got it right. Whatever way I decided, I just had to commit to it.”
While a couple of near misses failed to provide any insurance for the Mustangs, it would not be necessary. A stop on a net-front scramble for the Marshals would seal things up for McCracken, as they closed the door on the district victory, 1-0.
“This was a good week for us,” McCracken head coach Michael Wiersma said following the win. The Mustangs closed out their week 3-0, including another district win over Paducah Tilghman. “I felt like we could’ve added a couple more and extended our lead; we didn’t take advantage of [momentum] and let them stay in the game. But, this was a hard-fought victory against a team we feel like we could see two or three more times this year.”
It won’t be long until the Mustangs and Marshals meet again, with another doubleheader at Colburn Stadium on tap for September 11.