Emma Leander’s second half output helps Lady Mavs to title
A pair of second-half goals by Emma Leander netted Anderson County High School’s girls soccer team the 2022 District 5-AA regular-season title.
Leander’s markers lifted the Lady Mavericks to a 2-0 victory over Kingston on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the regular-season district finale for both schools.
Anderson County (6-6 overall, 3-0 in the district) will host No. 4 seed Clinton in the coming district tournament semifinals.
The Lady Mavericks, however, struggled to find the back of the net over the first 40 minutes of the match as they were locked in a 0-0 tie with the Lady Yellow Jackets.
“I told them at halftime that if they continued to play like they were playing, then we’d be traveling when we play in the district tournament,” ACHS Coach Chris Curtin said.
The Lady Mavericks certainly wanted home- field advantage in the playoffs, and the second half certainly proved that against some stiff competition.
“Kingston has a great program,” Curtin said. “They’re really well-coached. Coach (Ellen) Dailey does a great job.
“They compete hard and Ellen is a great friend and it’s great to compete against her and compete against Kingston.
“They have a great player in Karli Pettit and I told Ellen that I really like watching her play.
“But I like to watch her play when she’s not playing against us.”
After each match, Curtin has his players pick a teammate who helped win, and against the Lady Yellow Jackets, two players, senior Hayllynn Willis and freshman Bralee Hall, were named Co-Players of the Game.
Victoria Laster and Zoey Rose had assists for the Lady Mavericks against Kingston.
Anderson County will play Oak Ridge Thursday.