Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Swain County High’s Lady Devils soccer team has been off to a solid start, with a win of 4-1 over the East Henderson Eagles on Wednesday, March 1 and then a 0-0 tie against the Franklin Panthers on Monday, March 6.
Head Coach Scott Cline said in an email that the Wednesday game saw the Lady Devils scoring early. Kathryn Rowland of the team crossed the ball to Mya Burrows-Kurr, who then scored.
Karena Cline turned a penalty kick into a goal and helped the team end up with 2-1 after the first half.
The Lady Devils ended up winning the game 4-1 with Cline saying it was a “great season opener” for the team. The defense was led by Anna Gray, who had five clears/steals, and Sophie Matz was close behind with three.
Gracie Sutton led with 11 goalkeeper saves, and she was also the player of the game.
“Gracie is really coming along as a goalkeeper and is embracing the position,” said Cline. “She had a great game and really kept us in the game numerous times.”
Then on Monday against the Panthers, the tie had Cline calling the game a tough one overall. He said it was a “defensive” game in which there were no scores from either side.
“We played a tough game overall. In the second half we kept the ball on our offensive half more, but just could not convert the shots into goals,” said Cline. “We will work on what we need to work on and get prepared for our conference opener at Hayesville on Thursday.”
Next, the Lady Devils will play the Hayesville Yellow Jackets on Thursday, March 9, for a 4 p.m. game.