Varsity Girls Soccer Crush Cross Keys

Freshman midfielder Sydney Johnson scored twice in the first half, both assisted by Katie Neil. Hannah Williams added a long strike from the right wing for the remaining goal of the period. Cross Keys parked the proverbial “bus” in front of Decatur’s goal in the second half, to no avail. The Bulldogs scored four times in the period and denied any attempts on their box. Meredith Broyles sent two strong shots to the back of the net, Hannah Williams added another long score over the goalie, and Annie Mac Strickland grabbed the final goal as she corralled a long pass from outside fullback Anelia Moore and took it all the way to the box for her shot. Cross Keys left Hallford with no shots and no corner kicks.

Midfielder Bella Reiss shone as she marshaled the attack from her defensive midfielder spot. Bella displayed excellent judgement on when to switch the field, when to send a long ball, and when to use her wings effectively. She tallied three assists in the game. Most lethal on the outside was winger Sarah P, who repeatedly frustrated the Keys by dribbling to the touchline to send cross after cross into the box. One Lady Key grew so tired of P that she shoved her in the back three times. Sadly for her, the referee stood in direct sight for the last one, and awarded the young lady a yellow card for her lack of sportsmanship. She earned her second yellow and expulsion from the game for trying the same on Meredith Broyles.

A few inches here and there, and the game ends on the mercy rule. Three Decatur attempts hit the crossbar, and the Dogs missed a first half penalty kick. For the week, the girls’ ninety-plus shots yielded 15 goals, a ratio that must improve for the Bulldogs to continue their winning ways in the region. Next week marks the end of the “honeymoon phase” of facing mediocre talent (with the exception of Lakeside).

Coach Gathany considers the contest a useful region benchmark: “For us, the Cross Keys game was another measure of how we stand up against some of our other tough region opponents. For instance, GAC were only up 3-0 against Cross Keys at halftime and finished the game at 7-0. We did the exact same thing but a couple of our shots could have gone in but either hit the cross bar, went over or were wide of the goal. Each player is starting to understand their role on this team and what it will take to be successful in our region. The coaching staff is happy with this progression but we still have a long road ahead of us as we play some of our toughest region opponents in the coming weeks.” Next week, region #1 GAC comes to Decatur, and we will learn the truth about where the Lady Bulldogs stand.

Injury report: Expect to see freshmen Amani Bright and Audrey Maloof in action next week.

Stats: Shots – DHS 41, CKHS 0; Corners – DHS 10, CKHS 0.

Goals: DHS – Johnson (13, 28), Williams (20, 61), Broyles (45, 60), Strickland (72)

Assists: Alyamani (1), A. Moore (1), Reiss (3), Neil (2)

Saves: Drenner (0), Mayer (0)

Halftime: DHS 3, CKHS 0