The regular season for the McCracken County Lady Mustangs ended in the win column Tuesday night, as goals from Emma Hudson, Maddy Ledgerwood and Maddie Ault lifted them to a 3-1 win over the Murray Lady Tigers.
To begin their night, the Lady Mustangs found just the start they were looking for, as they broke the deadlock straight away. Finding space along the right wing just over a minute into the action, a cross from Ault found its way to Hudson in behind a high Lady Tiger defensive line, who tapped it in to take an instant lead.
Momentum wouldn’t stay in favor of McCracken for long, though, as the Lady Tigers found a way to settle into the match, working their way back onto level footing. Successfully catching the Lady Mustangs offside in their offside trap on a handful of occasions, positive spells of possession would pay off for the Lady Tigers, as they bagged an equalizer from a corner kick with 26 minutes to play in the first half.
“It was good for our girls to get on the board early, get them on their back foot, and build up momentum and confidence. That’s what you hope happens, at least,” McCracken County head coach Mike Lane said, reflecting on the early action. “I thought we were too relaxed after the first goal. They got one off of a corner, which is something we’ve been working on trying to defend better, and they took the momentum right back.”
However, the back-and-forth first half would see one more twist before it was out, as McCracken regained control before the break. In a similar build-up to their first, a cross cut back into the box from deep in the Lady Tigers’ half, where a waiting Maddy Ledgerwood fired the Lady Mustangs into a 2-1 halftime advantage.
“That’s what we like to do. We’re not the most direct attacking team, we like to get downhill, cut those negative balls back to girls making their runs, and that’s how we got our goals tonight,” Lane said. “They didn’t panic when they gave up a goal, and that’s the biggest thing. Our girls understand what they’re good at, how we want them to play, and they just go out there and execute on that game plan. We played our game, and made them have to adjust to us.”
While Murray would knock on the door of an equalizer through the second half, including a free kick opportunity for Avery Ford sailing just over the bar, the second goal would never come for the Lady Tigers. Instead, a goal for Ault with seven minutes left on the clock would seal things up for McCracken, as they end their regular season as 3-1 winners.
Now, the Lady Mustangs head into an extended lay-off ahead of the First District Tournament, as a date with either Marshall County or Paducah Tilghman waits for them in the championship on October 14. However, with the wear-and-tear of a full season taking its toll on the squad, Lane and his Lady Mustangs welcome the much-needed rest ahead of the postseason.
“This is big for us, because we have some key players that were getting dinged up, and we want to be as close to 100% as we can be going into the postseason,” Lane concluded. “Our next game is for a championship, so we want to be rested, prepared, and at our best for whoever it is we end up playing.”
The First District girls’ soccer tournament is set to begin on October 12 from Colburn Stadium in Marshall County.