Sports

Whitewater washes out Lee County

• Lee County loses to the defending state champion, Whitewater, in the second round of the Class AAAA soccer tournament for the second consecutive year.

Scott Chancey

LEESBURG — While her Lee County High School soccer team trailed, 3-0, at halftime against defending state champion Whitewater, coach Amy Cash did not have to say a word.

She let her players do the talking.

“All they talked about was if they could get just one goal, things would go our way,” Cash recalled.

Lindsey Crawford scored the first of her two goals just minutes into the second half, but the Lady Trojans were left to wonder what could have been, losing, 3-2, in the second round of the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs.

The Lady Trojans, who recently won their third consecutive region title and just so happened to lose, 3-2, in the second round of last year’s state tournament against Whitewater, finish the season at 16-3-1. In last year’s match, Whitewater led, 2-0, at halftime.

Whitewater, which lost four starters from last year’s team, had all three of its goals scored by Erin Emerson, and Cash tried to maintain her team’s spirit while the Lady Warriors pulled away early.

“It was a little depressing after the first goal because they seized the momentum,” Cash said. “And when three go in during the first half, as a coach, you could see it in their eyes like, ‘Oh no.’ ”

Emerson’s first goal was unassisted, and Lacey McGowan and Jewelia Strickland had assists on the other two.

For the game, Whitewater out-shot Lee County, 28-7.

Less than five minutes into the second half, however, Crawford scored on an assist by Amber Barbaro.

“We were all working hard, passing the ball and we got past the defenders,” said Crawford, who is a sophomore. “I just tried (the shot) at the right time and it got caught in there. We played a great second half. We realized it was now or never.”

Suddenly, the Lady Trojans became more aggressive at attacking the ball and moving it to Whitewater’s side of the field. All the while, Whitewater coach Heather Allen was worried about the direction of the match.

“We might have become a little comfortable,” she said. “(Lee County) got that one goal, and the momentum all of the sudden was on their side.”

A short time later, Crawford added another goal when a shot attempt by Heidi Johnson went off the post. Lady Wildcats goalie Ali Young was outside the box, and Crawford was able to follow up on the shot and narrow the deficit to 3-2.

Lee County’s Ashley Law, who finished with 16 saves, held the Wildcats scoreless after halftime, but the Lady Knights were unable to find that extra goal to tie the score and send Wednesday’s match into overtime.

The Lady Trojans, however, return all their starters for next season.

“I just think with the same core, with one more year, we can improve tremendously from this year’s playoffs,” Cash said.

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