By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Staff
Aubrey Jordan had a hat trick to lead Caddo Magnet past Parkway 7-3 in a non-district high school soccer game Thursday at Lee Hedges Stadium.
Jordan, a sophomore, led the Lady Mustangs three goals and an assist. Toni Sapp added two goals, followed by Merritt Hughes and Caroline Wilemon who both had a goal and two assists. Sophomore keeper Addison had five saves.
Parkway was led by Maya Jackson with two goals and an assist. Parkway’s first goal was made by Kendahl Winningham. Keeper Aubri Dupre had 10 saves.
The game started slowly as the night was brutally cold with winds at 10 mph out of the north.
Six minutes into the game Magnet’s Jordan got a breakaway and headed to goal, where Parkway’s goalkeeper Dupre stood tall and made the save. That ignited both teams as the action picked up on both ends of the field.
A few minutes later Magnet’s Wilemon played the ball to Jordan and she finished it for the game’s first goal.
It took less than two minutes for Parkway to equalize as Jackson took a shot that deflected off the keeper to the feet of Winningham, who tapped it in.
Magnet immediately took the lead back by taking the kickoff down the field, when Merritt Hughes took a shot, again it deflected off the keeper and right to the foot of Jordan who shot it in for the 2-1 Magnet lead.
Merritt and Jordan teamed up later in the first half as Merritt played AJ into space with her pass and AJ calmly slotted it home for the 3-1 halftime lead.
The second half started fast, as the fans barely had time to sit down when Magnet’s Caroline Wilemon passed the ball to a wide open Merritt, who chipped the oncoming Dupre to make the score 4-1.
An unintentional hand ball in the box led the Wilemon’s penalty kick goal to increase Magnet’s lead.
After some back and forth Parkway’s Jackson found herself with the ball at midfield and took the ball all the way to Magnet’s net and scored past a diving Tipton.
Within a minute Maya had the ball in a similar spot and repeated herself, closing the score to 5-3, and the comeback seemed on.
Unfortunately for Parkway, Magnet’s Sapp put a corner kick directly into the net, her second goal this season coming directly off a corner. This goal seemed to take the wind out of Parkway’s sails, as they never got another shot off.
Shortly before the game was over Jordan played Sapp on the left wing and she turned the ball towards goal, bending a ball just inside the far post and just outside the outstretched arms of the diving Dupre.
The win solidifies Magnet as the no. 2 ranked team in Division II, with only one game left on its schedule.
Parkway, took a hit with the loss as it sits at no. 31 in Division I, and will fall to a tie for 32.
Division I takes 32 teams, so the Lady Panthers will need to win their remaining games to ensure they qualify for the post season.
This loss also keeps coach Shelly McMillian at 698 high school varsity wins. With three more games scheduled this season, she could reach 700 before the 2021-22 season finishes.
Photo: by David Ersoff
