Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008 10:45 AM
Updated Wednesday, April 30, 2008 10:46 AM
Goose Creek’s Alicia Horton fights for the ball with Stratford’s defender Amy Diegel.
Lady Knights cut through Gators, 6-2
The rivalry continued between Goose Creek and Stratford Friday, as five second-half goals led to a 6-2 SHS win in a girls’ soccer match.
With the Lady Knights down 2-1 in the second half and 24 minutes left in the game, a straight shot from Stratford’s Hope Martin tied the game. Martin continued to make her presence known as she circled around Goose Creek defenders to score her second goal in just over a minute and give SHS a 3-2 lead.
The Gators, led by captain Alicia Horton, attempted to take back the lead but were unable to put the ball into the net.
Strong defensive plays by Danielle Huger and Rachel Jenkins kept the ball out of Stratford territory. Horton scored twice early in the first half before a goal by Stratford’s Ashley Reetz made it a one score game.
“We played really strong on the first half,” Horton said. “We just ran out of gas in the second and couldn’t score the points we needed. They played good defense and did a good job of keeping the ball in our territory.”
Goose Creek played defensively throughout the first half, keeping Stratford away from the net as the Gators maintained the lead going into the second half.
With just over seven minutes left in the game Stratford’s Kaylee Gormel knocked in a goal of her own, putting SHS up by two. That was followed by a powerful goal from the right corner by Kaitlynn Mahan.
“The girls stepped it in the second half,” Stratford Head Coach Peter Heusinger said. “We played sloppy in the first half and decided to turn it around midway through game. It was a good win but we have a lot to work on before our next game.”
A second goal by Reetz in the final two minutes of play brought the final score of 6-2 and a Stratford victory. With a win over the Gators the Lady Knights have improved their record to 7-6.
“We have a few injuries in some key spots, but we’ve been able to adapt and play well through it,” Heusinger said. “Something sparked for the team during the second half and they decided they wanted to win the game.”
Stratford’s victory was their second over their archrival last week, as the Knights won 7-1 April 22.