Kingston falls victim to Anderson County on ‘Senior Night’
The Anderson County Lady Mavericks soccer team hosted the Kingston-Roane County Lady Yellow Jackets last Thursday.
The Lady Mavs (8-2-1) looked strong in their last regular season match, dominating the possession battle. Anderson County would score three goals in the second half, and defeat Kingston by a 4-0 result.
Around ten minutes of play, the Lady Mavs settled in and began connecting their lines. Anderson County had success moving the ball into the flanks and putting services into the box.
The Lady Mavs had plenty of chances throughout the first 39 minutes of play, but could not find a finish. On senior night, it was only fitting that senior defender Maddie Moody would put Anderson County on the board. Moody found the back of the net in the 40th minute, right before the halftime whistle.
In the second half, Anderson County really began to control the game.
The Lady Mavs possessed the ball in their attacking half of the field, won most of the 50/50 balls, and stayed disciplined defensively. The 1-0 Anderson County advantage would change to 3-0 quickly.
In the 55th minute, Laura Wilson would score to put the Lady Mavs up 2-0, but they were not finished.
Natalie Bartley is never afraid to shoot, and she would take advantage of an opportunity not one minute later. Bartley’s strike found the twine in the 56’, as Anderson County scored two goals in two minutes. Senior goalkeeper Mollie Wheeler earned the shutout, but had little to do and finished with two saves. The Lee University commit would receive a senior night gift from Head Coach Chris Curtin—field time. In the 60’, Wheeler would assist Bartley with a beautifully weighted through ball. Bartley’s brace put the Lady Mavs up 4-0, and Anderson County would see the game out for a great result.
The Lady Mavs As a forward, you have two main jobs: put shots on frame, and score goals. Natalie Bartley did both. She finished the game with five shots, all of them were on target, and two hit the back of the net. Morgan Irwin was a big part of the Lady Mavs’ attack as well, and finished with five shots while four were on target. Echo Haverkamp, who is very composed on the ball, anchors Anderson County’s backline. Her ability to see the field and combo out of the back into the middle third of the field adds an element to her play that makes her well rounded.
With the result, the Lady Mavs locked up the two seed for the District 5-AA Tournament. Anderson County played in the first round of the post season on Tuesday night. The result of the match was unavailable by press time. The semifinal round of the district tournament is scheduled for Thursday night.