By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
HAMMOND — Being a finalist in the LHSAA Division I Soccer Tournament is quite a feat for any team; doing it two years in a row is even more impressive. It shows a strength of a program that lasts more than if the playoff run was the high point of a Cinderella season.
It also hurts twice as hard, being that close to a season-long goal and falling short for a second straight time.
The Byrd Lady Jackets (19-4-4) had to feel like the favorites going into this year’s final, back in the state championship game from a year ago as the second seed and facing the No. 4 ranked Lady Cubs of Mt. Carmel Academy (23-4-3). They were also excited about the return to competition of senior Myjoi Anderson, a Texas A&M-Corpus Christie signee, sidelined for the last two games with an ankle injury.
The Lady Cubs also had a reason to feel confident, having knocked the Lady Jackets out of the playoffs four times in the previous 10 years, including a last-minute goal to win the 2016 state title 2-1.
This season, the teams tied 1-1 on a neutral field game a month ago, on Jan. 17.
All those thoughts go away the moment the starting whistle is blown. Now it’s just playing the game, doing what the teams have practiced all year. The team who does that better will win, and that proved true when Mt. Carmel was able to win 2-0 on Saturday night at Strawberry Stadium on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University.
This was the eighth and final championship game played, and the first where wind did not play a role in the outcome. Mt. Carmel came out strong looking to force the action right at the Byrd defense. As the backline had played all season, the Lady Jackets’ defense held up well for the first 20 minutes, keeping the Lady Cubs’ attacks away from goal.
In the 22nd minute the Lady Cubs broke through when a pass was sent through and Stella Junius tapped it around Byrd keeper Riley Monclaw, then passed the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Jackets struggled getting their offense going, doing well passing the ball from the back and midfield, but every pass to their forwards, especially to Anderson, was met with double and sometimes triple teams.
Monclaw made an amazing save as time was running down in the first half to keep Byrd within striking distance. As the whistle was about to end the first half, the Lady Jackets had their best opportunity at goal, with two attacks that could have tied the game.
The confidence the Lady Jackets gained at the end of the half did not carry over to produce success in the second half. The Lady Cubs kept up the pressure and in the 56th minute doubled their lead with a header by Lilah Grandbouchel, hit directly from a corner kick.
As time ran down, things got understandably chippy, as the fouls got a little more physical and the delay game of the Lady Cubs frustrated the Lady Jackets. The final whistle blew and the 2024-25 prep soccer season was over.
After taking a day to reflect on the season and this large graduating class (10 seniors) Byrd’s veteran coach Lisa Levermann said the team dynamics were reflected in the achievement of reaching the state finals again, and in the reaction after the defeat.
“This senior class has been one of the most fun that I have ever had. These seniors became the leaders that we needed, for us as a team and for the freshman class that came in,” said Levermann.
“They worked so well as a group. We had no finger-pointing or blame game. With their leadership, we won as a team and in the end, we lost as a team. The younger players were more emotional after the loss, saying ‘we wanted to win it for our seniors’. That’s what leadership is all about.”
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net