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Bassett, Tunstall to meet in title
MHS will play PCHS in third-place game Thursday
Patrick County's Amber Eustler (left) and Tunstall's Taylor Fugate both go for a loose ball in first half action Tuesday. Tunstall won the Piedmont District Tournament semifinal and will advance to play Bassett for the championship on Thursday. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray)
A storm brewed at Ed Bassett Stadium on Tuesday despite an otherwise clear and chilly evening.
That storm was called the Lady Cougars, and while it raged for almost 40 minutes, the Lady Trojans were able to hold on for a 2-1 victory in the second round of the Piedmont District Tournament.
“I’m happy to get the win,” said Tunstall head coach Marc Parrish. “It was a very close match. Patrick County just made a heck of a run in the second half. It was just a question of whether or not we could weather the storm.”
Patrick County’s girls soccer team knocked on the door all night but couldn’t find the net enough to upset Tunstall in the second half of Tuesday’s matchup.
“I thought it was a well-played game,” said Cougars’ head coach Sandra Rakes. “We actually seemed to control the ball for most of the game. We had the shots; we just could not make them find the net.”
With 20 total shots on goal, more than half of which came in the second half, the Cougars (8-5 overall, 4-4 PD) fought hard but couldn’t sneak more than one past Tunstall goalkeeper Lauren Elliot.
“It wasn’t as pretty as I would’ve liked for it to have been, but hat’s off to Patrick County, because that was one of the most furious second halves I have seen in years,” said Parrish. “Sometimes you have to scratch and claw and hang on for a win, and that’s what we did.”
Elliot recorded 17 saves on the night to fend off the Cougars’ run in the second half.
The Trojans (10-5 overall, 7-2 PD) started strong, putting their only goals on the board in the first half.
Lesly Pineda got the game’s first goal amidst a crowded six-yard box. Somehow Pineda managed to find her footing and put one low and right into the nearside corner in the 20th minute.
Tunstall’s second goal came in stoppage time as Maggie MacLeish shot a beautiful cross to Lauren Payne from the near side of the field. MacLeish, standing far left and inside the six-yard box, caught the pass and two-touched it in low and left into the far side of the net.
Even with a two-shot lead, the Trojans were uneasy as the Cougars came out hot in the second half.
After two close shots on goal from Katie Kipreos early in the half, Sarah Puckett eventually managed to find her mark, assisting Kipreos inside the 18-yard box. Puckett gave the Cougars’ lone scorer a one-on-one opportunity that Kipreos took full advantage of with a hard shot low and left past Tunstall’s keeper.
With the win, the Trojans advance to Thursday’s championship match against Bassett at 5:30 p.m., and Patrick County will face Martinsville in the consolation game at 7:30 p.m.
Bassett 2
Martinsville 0
Bassett came away with a 2-0 shutout victory over Martinsville on Tuesday night at Ed Bassett Stadium.
Though both teams played evenly throughout the first half, the Lady Bengals’ junior-captain Sasha Doss gave Bassett the edge in stoppage time with a well-placed kick low and left from inside the 18 box on an assist from Julia Teague.
With four total shots on goal in the first half, compared to Martinsville’s two, the Bengals (11-2-2 overall, 7-1 PD) knew that one goal wasn’t going to be enough to put away a hungry team of Lady Bulldogs.
“We knew a 1-0 lead was not enough,” said Bassett coach Lindsay Favero. “We started the second half really pumped up, trying to finish another goal or two. ‘Course, we only got one more, but I think it was enough to just renew that excitement again and keep the team pumped up and pushing forward.”
Bassett’s Emily Warrick got her team and the crowd going as she connected on a well-placed cross from Sasha Doss for the 2-0 lead.
Running outside the 18 box on the near side of the field, Doss passed the ball to Warrick, who stood inside the left side of the six-yard box. Warrick then stopped the pass and shot straight as Martinsville’s keeper faltered and slipped as the freshman scored.
Martinsville (3-13 overall, 1-7 PD) added two more shots on goal in the second half, but the loss of senior midfielder Devan Blankenship to a sprained ankle and a physically tired team led to the eventual downfall of the Bulldogs, according to head coach Luis Palemino.
“We had one injury, and that was the main reason why,” said Palemino. “We just went down after that.”
Despite the loss, Palemino was pleased with the Bulldogs’ relentless effort and drive to win.
“Very pleased with those kids,” said Palemino. “They came along really well after having a kinda hard season in the beginning. They gave their all, and they’re good kids.”
The Bulldogs will face Patrick County in the consolation game to determine the third-place finisher in the Piedmont District Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at Ed Bassett Stadium.
Bassett will have a rematch against Tunstall at 5:30 p.m. earlier that evening to determine the champion of the PD tourney.
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