By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports soccer writer
A much-anticipated two-day trip north to Shreveport by 2021 Division 2 state girls finalist Lakeshore High this weekend provided a statement win (Loyola) and a quality draw (Byrd) for the local teams.
Saturday, Loyola (last year’s Division 3 state runner-up) and Lakeshort encountered bitter cold with winds upward of 20 miles per hour, leading to a slow start. In the 20th minute, a Lady Titan foul in the box led to the game’s first score, when Loyola’s Mary Helen Burford converted the penalty kick. In the 24th minute the Lady Flyers doubled their lead, when Madalyn Van Devender’s corner kick found Maggie Googe who slotted it in the back of the net. The first half ended 2-0 Lady Flyers.
The second half began with Lakeshore having the wind, putting pressure on Loyola’s defense, but the Titans could not get any quality shots. In the 12th minute, the Lady Flyers countered and appeared to score when Kennedy Jarrett crossed the ball to Emmaline Drummond, who put it the back of the net, but the offside flag was up, and the goal was waved off.
At the halfway point of the final half Lakeshore senior Ava Sampey played the ball forward as she tried to lead her forward into the box, the wind took the ball and carried it into the net, to cut Loyola’s lead in half.
The rest of the game was Lakeshore pushing everyone forward in an attempt to equalize the score. The defense and goalkeeper Millicent Mascagni would not break. With the final whistle, Loyola gained the hard earned 2-1 win.
That came after the Lady Titans and the Byrd Lady Jackets played to a 2-2 tie Friday night at Byrd High. That night, Loyola beat Caddo Magnet High 4-1 at Messmer Stadium.
Division I’s third-ranked Captain Shreve Lady Gators traveled to No. 7 Mandeville Friday to play the Lady Skippers, a contest that also counted as the postponed St Fred’s tournament final. The Lady Gators won 3-0 on goals by junior Brooklyn Lattier, junior Emma Bradford and freshman Alex Knight. Freshman goalkeeper Avery Watson had three saves during her 15th clean sheet of the season.
Saturday, the Lady Gators endured almost a two-hour lightning delay and heavy rains in Baton Rouge against second-ranked St. Joseph’s Lady Redstickers. St. Joseph and the elements were too much as the home club won 6-0.
Last Tuesday, the Loyola Lady Flyers hosted Haughton Lady Bucs, in a benefit game. The game was in honor of Brice Brown, father of freshman Avery Brown, who is suffering with cholangiocarcinoma. The entire gate and sales of homemade gumbo went to the Brown family, to aid in their expenses for treatment and travel. The crowd was as large as I have seen at big playoff soccer games. What a way to show how the High School Soccer community in NWLA comes together!
Other local girls high school soccer results last week were:
1/10 – Calvary Baptist 9, Bossier 0; Evangel 5, Northwood 1; North Caddo 1, Southwood 0; Captain Shreve 3, Neville 0; Airline 4, Natchitoches Central 1; Parkway 8, Ruston 0; Byrd 1, West Monroe 1.
1/11 – Calvary Baptist 2, Parkway 1; Benton 8, Huntington 0; Ouachita Parish 4, Northwood 0.
1/12 – Evangel 2, Minden 0; Captain Shreve 7, Pineville 0.
1/13 – Evangel 8, North Caddo 0; Haughton 8, Bossier 0; Benton 6, Northwood 0; Natchitoches Central 7,
Southwood 0; West Monroe 2, Airline 1.
1/15 – Ouachita Christian 3, Calvary Baptist 2; West Ouachita 1, Haughton 0; Parkway 1 Pineville 0.
PHOTO: Submitted photo
