By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
The regular season is over, but the rain is not. Like the U.S. Postal Service, the LHSAA soccer postseason will move forward despite the elements, with pairings coming out today and first-round play kicking off later this week, with artificial turf fields at a premium.
The final week of the regular season got off to a sloppy start as heavy rains poured into the Shreveport area, dumping over two inches of precipitation, and postponing all games, even the ones set on turf. This caused a scramble for fields and refs the rest of the week, as teams tried to reschedule everything they could.
The biggest local game of the week was set for last Tuesday, with Division IV No. 1-seeded Loyola Lady Flyers (now 14-5-4) hosting Division I fourth-seeded Captain Shreve (25-1-4). The showdown was moved to last Thursday night at Messmer Stadium.
The Lady Gators took charge early with plenty of possessions and, in the fourth minute, earned their first corner kick. The ball was sent in the box, and a mad scramble for the ball ensued, with Isabella Hamilton getting the last touch that put Shreve up 1-0. Loyola had a couple of chances, but was unable to get a clear shot off. With less than 10 minutes left in the half, Alex Knight hit a ball from distance that doubled the Lady Gators’ lead.
The second half began with Loyola seemingly a new team, as it took control and flipped the script, going on the attack versus the defensive posture it had in the first half. This, however, did not translate to quality looks at goal. That finally changed midway through the second half, when Madelyn VanDevender took Loyola’s first shot on goal. Shreve’s keeper, Avery Watson, blocked the shot, but was unable to control it, and another mad dash for the loose ball ensued. Ainsley Matlock got the final touch and cut Shreve’s lead to 2-1.
The rest of the game was Loyola pushing numbers forward, while Shreve took to the counterattack, both sides failing to alter the scoreline, and the visitors walking off winners.
The Lady Gators finished their regular season Saturday with a 1-1 tie at Division I No. 14 West Monroe (17-5-3). Loyola played Division II No. 4 Teurlings Catholic (11-7-5) on Saturday and ended with a scoreless tie. The Lady Flyers completed their season at Division II No. 3 Magnet (16-9) Monday night, defeating the Lady Mustangs 3-0.
Division II District 1 came down to winner-take-all games between Parkway and Caddo Magnet, for both the girls’ and the boys’ teams last Thursday at Lee Hedges Stadium.
First up were the boys. No. 14 Parkway (12-7-1) took on No. 9 Caddo Magnet, with the host Mustangs coming out on top 4-1. Alexander Baltov scored two goals, while Diego Martinez and Jakyran Pierson had one goal each. Martinez added two assists. Keeper Taylor Gabucci had five saves. Brasen Teutsch scored the lone goal for the Panthers.
In the girls’ contest, No. 3 Magnet (16-8) again prevailed with a 5-0 win over the No. 8 Lady Panthers (12-7-1). Audrey Jordan and Isabella Baltov each had two goals, with the last coming from Alexa Yurochko. Three assists were credited to Baltov, with another credited to Kami Baye. Keeper Addison Tipton had 10 saves. Parkway keeper Aubri Dupre spent most of the game being peppered with shots, coming up with at least 15 saves. She kept the game from getting even more out of hand.
The Division I No. 3-seed Byrd Lady Jackets (16-6-5) completed their streak of high-quality matchups last weekend, traveling to Division II No. 2 seed Lakeshore (14-8-5) on Friday night, playing to a 1-1 tie. Ellie Lawrence provided the goal needed to secure the tie. Saturday, they visited Division I No. 9 Southside (17-6-1); Lawrence again scored Byrd’s only goal, and this time it was for the 1-0 victory.
Look for the playoff pairings in Wednesday’s Journal and a playoff preview in Thursday’s edition, with first-round games starting later that day.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net