A second shot… Jr. Lady Cyclones fail to gain revenge in 6-0 loss to Liberty Bell
Published 6:51 pm Wednesday, September 9, 2020
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
In a fierce battle for possession, the ball is popped up into the air between a pair of Jr. Lady Cyclones and a pair of Liberty Bell players.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
A pair of Jr. Lady Cyclones battle for possession of the ball with a Liberty Bell Lady Patriot.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
A T.A. Dugger Jr. Lady Cyclone puts a foot into the ball during Tuesday's contest against Liberty Bell.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
A pair of Jr. Lady Cyclones give chase to a Liberty Bell player who tries to push the ball up the field.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
The race is on toward a free ball as players from both teams attempt to gain possession.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
A Jr. Lady Cyclone attempts to gain control of the ball as she battles with a Liberty Bell defender.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
TAD's goalie makes a finger-tip stop on a Liberty Bell scoring attempt.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
In the opening game of the season, the T.A. Dugger Jr. Lady Cyclones found the going tough against a very tough Liberty Bell Lady Patriot team after not having long to prepare.
Tuesday the Jr. Lady Cyclones had another shot at the same Lady Patriot team and although they dropped another tough match, 6-0, to the Johnson City visitors the Jr. Lady Cyclones have shown they are growing up as they showed different facets of the game that weren’t evident in the first match.
The Jr. Lady Cyclones played well throughout the contest but the most notable difference in the game was Liberty Bell’s attack offense as on the attack, the Lady Patriots were able to keep their heads up and find the open player leading to quality goals that the Jr. Lady Cyclones couldn’t overcome.
Eddie Morrell, the TAD head soccer coach, saw several positives in the game even in the 6-0 defeat.
“We expanded a little more than what we did with Vance,” said Morrell after the contest. “I felt like our passing lanes were really good tonight and I felt like they were hitting the passing lanes.
“Our defensive line was outstanding. Those three girls back there – Maddix Morton, Taylor Coad, and Kayelyn Nave were rocks. Amelia Proffitt did everything she could in goal.
“When you have a team like Liberty Bell that is so experienced and that has structure, its hard to close that gap. Yes, I saw improvement,” continued Morrell.
“Was it what I wanted it to be – of course not. But we definitely saw improvement tonight and something that we can build on for the future.”
One of those things that Morrell is working toward is emphasising to his team the importance of playing the game with their heads up where they can see the field.
“When you have an entire team that can see the field, its alot like being on the basketball court. You have a point guard that sees the court then you have instance opportunities to score,” stated Morrell.
“Its the same way in soccer. If you have a team that sees the field, you can get the ball down the field and when you have a team that keeps it’s head down concentrating on their next pass that’s all you get to.
“That’s a goal of ours. We want to be able to have everyone heads up. I feel like our defenders and our forwards have that ability and are starting to use it. That will bring our midfield into play.”
The TAD Jr. Lady Cyclones will be back on the pitch on Tuesday, September 15th when they host the David Crockett Jr. Lady Pioneers at Citizens Bank Stadium at 6 pm.
