KINGSPORT – Using a three-goal first half lead as a buffer, the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones held off Sullivan South 4-2 on Thursday evening in girls soccer.
The win gives EHS a sweep of the season series with South, but this one was tough to come by.
“We won, and we needed to win,” Lady Cyclones head coach Bill McClay said. “I think our effort was uneven tonight. We scored early but they beat us to the ball in the middle of the field, and they were able to serve it into the people up front. We left players unmarked in the first half all over the field. On one play both teams stood and watched a ball go clean through the box.”
The Cyclones (7-4-2 overall, 5-0-1 conference) welcomed back freshman forward Cami Davison from an injury, and she showed her prowess with a left-footed blast inside the Lady Rebels penalty area that beat goalkeeper Katerina Johnson cleanly to her right for a 1-nil lead.
Davison finished with two goals and an assist in this one.
“My starting keeper is still out,” Lady Rebels head coach Keith Parker said. “We need to get her back, but I was proud of us coming back in the second half. I don’t think their last goal should have counted because the ref called a drop ball and why should it be a drop ball when we had possession. But with that being said, we still should have done better. At halftime, I just said to them ‘win the second half.’”
In the 12th minute, freshman Kaylen Shell scored when the Rebels failed to clear a ball in the penalty area, and Shell took possession just outside the box and let fly with a shot that found the back of the net and gave EHS a 2-nil lead.
South was denied a score when a miscommunication occurred between Taylor Lane and the middle official as Lane drilled a free kick into the Cyclone net over the outstretched fingers of EHS senior keeper Loran Campbell.
When asked why the goal was not allowed Parker said, “Apparently Taylor asked the ref if it was a direct kick and he was at a distance, and he said ‘go on and kick it.’”
It was called an indirect kick which by rule means that another player on the team kicking the ball must touch the ball before the striker, so the goal was not allowed and EHS led still by two goals. That wouldn’t last long as senior Caitlyn Gardner scored with an assist from Shell to give the Cyclones a three-goal lead at the break.
In the 49th minute, Davison scored again to make it a 4-nil EHS lead, but the Rebels began to mount a comeback from that point. Lane scored when she redirected a shot by teammate Mattie Topping past Campbell as the rebound eluded her grasp.
Campbell suffered an injury in the 69th minute after making a spectacular save on a blast by Topping that she punched over the crossbar. On her way to the ground she was struck with an elbow and came out of the game with backup Reagan Armstrong taking over in goal.
Another indirect kick by Lane went into the EHS net in the 77th minute and this one counted as South cut the deficit to 4-2, but EHS held on for the win.
“Some funny things happen when we play here,” McClay said. “I don’t know if it’s the dimensions of the field that throw us off, or the traffic just outside the fence. It’s just strange. I thought we shot the ball pretty well, but I know we can defend better, and we have to communicate better.”
EHS next plays at home against Happy Valley next Tuesday.

Girls soccer
EHS 4-2
Elizabethton 3 1 – 4
Sullivan South 0 2 – 2
Scoring Summary
First Half
E – Davison (unassisted) 5:00
E – Shell (unassisted) 12:00
E – Gardner (assist Davison) 29:00
Second Half
E – Davison (unassisted) 49:00
S – Lane (assist – Topping) 66:00
S – Lane (Free Kick – indirect) 77:00
Yellow card – E (Gardner) S (Bentley) 52:00