Stout defense showcased in Lady Highlanders win over College Park

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The Woodlands Lady Highlanders defeated the College Park Lady Cavaliers 1-0 Tuesday night, with both teams proving capable and stout defenses that managed to maintain a low score in times of high pressure.

The goal for the Lady Highlanders came in the 5^th-minute when Lady Highlander Freshman Jazzy Richards picked up a through ball played by Junior defender Sommer Stanley. Stanley sent a ball from the right back position to the middle of the final third, where Richards beat a CP defender with her speed and proceeded with a breakaway. Richards has scored a total of two goals for The Woodlands this district season.

Both the Lady Cavs (1-1) coach and the Lady Highlanders (3-0) coaches were proud of their team’s performance, and are looking forward to the rest of district season.

“I feel like we played well overall. We had one mistake, and The Woodlands definitely capitalized on that. They definitely had a lot of other chances, but our girls did a good job of shutting them down,” said Lady Cavs head coach Meredith Cook. “In terms of district, I feel like we have a really strong district, and we have to take it one game at a time. We know that every team can come out and beat us, and we have to just work hard and put the time in and know that we also have the ability to come out and beat the other teams.”

The Woodlands head coach Dina Graves is proud of her team’s 3 wins in district play, but recognizes points that she feels need to be addressed in order to continue success.

“We want to continue to take care of business, and we’ve got to start scoring more and taking advantage of our opportunities, so if we can get those things to work for us, I think we give ourselves a good chance.”

The emotions were running high in the last fifteen minutes of the game, as the area rivals began a back-and-forth game, each team attacking with force, but not quite enough for a goal. The Lady Highlanders proceeded with repeated shots and corner kicks in their final third, with Sommer Stanley continually sending shots into the 18-yard box, and Lady Cavs goalkeeper Grace Johnson stepping to the ball before a Highlander could get a good enough touch to send it in.

Coach Cook recognized the leadership of College Park goalkeeper Grace Johnson in shutting down the continuous efforts of the Woodlands. “My goalie, Grace Johnson, had a fantastic game,” Cook said.

The last final efforts of the game began with 53 seconds left, Senior forward Stephanie Evans put in the final Lady Highlander shot, which resulted in a tenacious College Park counter attack in which Isa Sanabria crossed a ball into the middle of the final third, with hopes a teammate would be there to pick it up and score. Bridgette Cast of The Woodlands was there to step in front of the ball and clear it out of pressure before the Lady Cavs had time to get another shot in during the final seconds of the game.

College Park continues district season with their third game on Friday, February 6 against Oak Ridge at home. The Woodlands has a bye Friday and will return to action on Tuesday, February 10, at Oak Ridge.