Jr. Lady Cyclones dominate Blazers in new stadium
Published 9:53 pm Wednesday, September 16, 2015
By Bryce Phillips
Star staff
With Wednesday night being eighth-grade night for the T.A. Dugger Jr. Lady Cyclones, it was fitting that all of TAD’s goals came from two eighth-grade Jr. Cyclones.
Maggie Johnson and Lexie Brown shot two goals each to propel the Lady Cyclones 4-0 over the Blazers at the new Citizen Bank Stadium.
“They are always on top of their game,” TAD coach Shelby Kind said. “… They are both powerhouses. They never stop running. If they come out for a sub, they are like, ‘When can I go back out?’
“They are alway willing to do more for us.”
The Jr. Lady Cyclones: forst goal came at the eight-minute mark, when Kaylen Shell connected with Brown, who fired in a close-range shot past Blazer goalie Jaiden Clark to put the TAD up 1-0.
Clark, who played a physical game as she blocked 20 shots Wednesday, provided the Jr. Lady Cyclones with a formidable foe at the goal.
“She is probably the best goalie competition that we have seen,” Shelby said. “Her punts are phenomenal.”
After firing many shots, the Jr. Lady Cyclones’ next goal came at the 15-minute mark, with Johnson driving the ball into Blazer territory, before firing a shot into the back of the net, giving her team a 2-0 lead.
Johnson grabbed the last goal of the first half when she knocked in a shot from close range, while surrounded by Blazers.
Coming out of halftime with a 3-0 lead, the Jr. Lady Cyclones didn’t take long to find the board one final time. Brown drove from midfield before firing the ball at Clark, who blocked the shot but could not get on top of the ball before Brown knocked it on into the unguarded net.
It was a big night for the Jr. Lady Cyclones, since it was the first time the Jr. Lady Cyclones have played on the new field.
“We were really excited to get the opportunity to play here,” Kind said. “I think the girls might have been a little bit worried at first to play on the artificial turf. But they seemed to adjust well.”
The Jr. Lady Cyclones will pick things back up Monday as they host Rogersville at 5:30 p.m. for the last game of the regular season.
