There are some matches that you circle on the calendar and this was one of them for the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones soccer squad.

Last season came to an abrupt end as Sullivan South knocked the Cyclones out in the first round of the playoffs, so Tuesday’s match had a little extra incentive.

That incentive paid off as EHS scored a convincing 5-2 victory at Citizens Bank Stadium to remain unbeaten in the conference at 3-0 (7-2 overall).

Junior striker Kaylen Shell posted a pair of goals in this one and she said of this match, “This was our most important game in the conference this year. Now that we have beaten South we should get a home game in the first round of the playoffs. This team is really close. We are all good friends off the field so we look to help each other out. My main goal is to get assists and help my teammates to score.”

Things got scary in the third minute when sophomore Siana Robey played a ball back to her goalkeeper Baylee Creasy and watched in shock as the ball skidded past Creasy and rolled into the Cyclone net for an own goal to give South a 1-nil lead.

That score would soon change when senior Abbey Townsend sent a corner kick into the crease where junior Cami Davison headed it past South keeper Katerina Johnson to knot the score at 1-1.

Shell tallied her first goal in the 25^th minute when she fielded a fine over the top pass from senior Cassidy Kaldy. Shell paused for just a moment to ensure she was onside and then outraced South defender Haley Webb to the goal where she back-footed a shot past Johnson for a 2-1 Cyclone lead.

“We created some good goals tonight,” Lady Cyclones head coach Bill McClay said. “Kalen had one go off the post in the first half. Then we hit the post again and had several shots go wide. We didn’t necessarily deal with their offside tactics well, so that is something we got to work on.”

In the second half junior Lexi Brown scored on a left-footed shot that sailed high over Johnson’s outstretched arms and gave EHS a 3-1 lead. Brown’s goal was set up by a pass from Davison.

A penalty on EHS gave South a free kick at the 18-yard line and Rachel Phillps sent in a high shot that Creasy caught at first but lost the handle and Mattie Topping was there to push the rebound home and make it a 3-2 contest.

It took just one minute for Shell to respond with her second goal of the match and re-establish the two-goal Cyclone lead. Junior Maggie Johnson scored in the 75^thminute to cap the scoring.

EHS 5-2

Sullivan South 1 1 – 2

Elizabethton 2 3 – 5

Scoring summary

First Half

S – Robey (own goal) 3:00

E – Davison (assist Townsend) 10:00

E – Shell (assist Kaldy) 25:00

Second Half

E – Brown (assist Davison) 59:00

S – Topping (assist Phillips) 64:00

E – Shell (unassisted) 65:00

E – Johnson (unassisted) 75:00