New Kent’s Michelle Drake (10) screens off a Bruton defender to maintain possession of the ball.Robb Johnson photo
Offense has been a struggle for New Kent Lady Trojans’ soccer team this season. Friday night’s home contest against the visiting Bruton Lady Panthers hoped to provide a push in the right direction.
New Kent built an early lead and used key goalkeeping from Madelynn Call as the Lady Trojans edged Bruton 3-2 to return to the win column.
The Lady Trojans dominated the first half with the ball, but it would take a while before the hosts could crack the scoreboard. Michelle Drake’s punch into the back of the net with just under five minutes in the first half provided New Kent a 1-0 lead, an advantage that would carry over into the halftime break.
Bruton emerged from the intermission and converted a penalty kick, tying the game at one apiece. New Kent regained the lead at the 16:35 mark as Olivia Allen scored after pushing the ball down the field. Drake added her second goal of the night at the 8:40 mark to provide the hosts a 3-1 lead.
Bruton made the game interesting as they scored at the 5:14 mark. But New Kent’s defense stepped up for the remainder of the contest, keeping the ball on their side of the field and clinching the win.
After the contest, New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach Stella Follett talked about how her team relaxed in the game.
“Tonight was a fun game to watch,” she commented. “We have been working on things at practice and we want to keep this going.
“We need to keep this cohesive effort going because we are a hard team to beat when we play together as a team,” Follett concluded.
New Kent’s Lady Trojans improves their record to 3-4.
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