Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN

STAR CORRESPONDENT

The Elizabethton Lady Cyclones got a pair of late goals from Mollie Johnson and also got a goal and three assists from senior Maddie O’Quinn in a 6-0 victory over Sullivan East in girls soccer action at Citizens Bank Stadium on Tuesday evening.

East is beginning its first season of soccer and the Lady Patriots proved themselves capable as they held EHS (2-0, 1-0 conference) to just two first-half goals.

“I told the girls that they would keep their shape and stay in position,” Lady Cyclones head coach Bill McClay said. “They have a couple of girls that can play with distance also and I thought they played pretty well. We missed some good opportunities in the first half, but we created some good ones in the second half.”

Sophomore Kaiya Simmons got the Cyclones on the board in the 13th minute with a shot that beat Patriots goalkeeper Cheyenne Peaks to her right. In the closing seconds of the first half, Emma O’Quinn scored her second goal of the season for a 2-nil halftime advantage.

Maddie O’Quinn scored seven minutes into the second half as EHS built a commanding lead.

“Maddie – if we get within 40 yards – she can hit it,” McClay said. “She will be dangerous and she hits it long. In the first half, I think the heat and playing into the sun affected us, but East played well. We kept letting number 21 (Wachippi Hamelryck) get the ball and she can hit it.”

Johnson scored twice off defensive turnovers in the attacking end of the pitch – the first one coming in the 72nd minute and she tallied again in the 77th minute taking advantage of East’s back line’s failure to clear.

In the match’s final minute Simmons was fouled in the penalty area and senior Reagan Curde scored her first career goal to cap off a satisfying win.

“The win is the thing and the shutout is good as well,” McClay said. “We’ll look to improve and keep tweaking things as we go. I had a freshman in there tonight that I don’t think she was comfortable so I may have to re-think that one. There was no real downside to this match.”

—

EHS 6-0

Sullivan East 0 0 – 0

Elizabethton 2 4 – 6

Scoring summary

First Half

E – Simmons (assist M. O’Quinn) 13:00

E – E. O’Quinn (unassisted) 40:00

Second Half

E – M.O’Quinn (assist Simmons) 47:00

E – Johnson (assist M. O’Quinn) 72:00

E – Johnson (assist M. O’Quinn) 77:00

E – Curde (Penalty Kick) 80:00