Don Brown
Sports Editor
Playing in their first-ever 3rd Region Tournament game, the Lady Cougar soccer team learned just how far they still have to go as they absorbed an overwhelmingly one-sided, 9-0 shutout at the hands (and feet) of the Ohio County Lady Eagles.
Grayson County finished their season with a best-ever 13-4-1 record, but it was still bitter-sweet as the Eagles (9-9-3) put an end to their season with the crushing defeat.
Grayson County had the ball into the box at the Ohio County end only a handful of times in the game, and were able to muster only one shot on goal. In the 66th minute of play, junior Bailey Reed got behind the Eagle defense and put a shot on goal that was easily stopped by Ohio keeper Katelynn Mason.
That was the only threat the Lady Cougars were able to muster throughout the game. Every time the Cougars were able to get it to the Ohio County end, the deft defenders were able to finesse the ball away and start down the other direction.
Seniors Ally Gordon and Martha Bean both had three goals for the Lady Eagles, and sophomore Tate Parker had a goal and three assists
The first goal came just three minutes into the game when a bouncing ball in front of the Cougar goal was shot by Brooklyn Kassinger off a Cougar defender. The rebound went right to Parker, who put the ball past Grayson keeper Emily Strader to make it 1-0.
Gordon scored the first of three straight goals at the eight-minute mark off an assist from Parker. Gordon scored again in the 16th minute when Parker’s cross bounced off Strader’s hands and caromed to Gordon, who tapped it into the empty net.
Gordon’s final goal came in the 29th minute when Alyssa Sampson maneuvered into the goal mouth and flicked a quick pass to Gordon on the right side, and the senior booted it home to make it 4-0.
The Eagles scored again just a couple of minutes before the end of the half to make it 5-0. Strader stopped a hard shot from Desirae Renfrow, but the rebound went right to Bean, who put it past Strader to give the Eagles the 5-0 half-time lead.
Seven minutes into the second half, the Eagles were on the board again. Freshman Cassie Smith scored on a free-kick about 25-yards out on the left side of the Cougar goal to make it 6-0.
Bean picked up her second goal of the game in the 53rd minute off a deep cross from Parker to make it 7-0.
Renfrow made a beautiful cross into the box in the 58th minute and Bean put it home to make it 8-0.
The final score came on an own-goal by the Lady Cougars in the 59th minute. Smith sent a crossing pass into the box in front of the Cougar goal. A Cougar defender got a foot on the ball trying to clear it out, but the ball deflected crazily and caught the far corner of the goal to make it 9-0.
One more goal would have ended the game by the mercy rule, but the Cougar defense was able to keep them out the rest of the way.
Grayson County’s girls set the standard for the soccer program this year and face the future on a high note.
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