Lady Cyclones dominate UC in mercy-rule win
Published 1:21 am Thursday, September 5, 2019
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Kaylen Shell of Elizabethton sends a shot toward the Lady Falcon net in an earlier game. Shell moved into third place in all-time scoring for the Elizabethton soccer girls' program with her 64th goal against Unicoi Co. Tuesday evening.
BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
Needing just 40 minutes to put up double-digit goals, the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones remained unbeaten in district play with a 10-0 whitewashing of Unicoi County on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Stadium in girls soccer action.
Seniors Lexi Brown, Kalen Shell, and Maggie Johnson combined for eight of the 10 Cyclone tallies with juniors Siana Robey and McKendra Norris adding the other two.
Brown scored a five-goal hat trick scoring from all angles including a goal off a corner kick that she curled past Blue Devils goalkeeper Lacey Ashley inside the near post.
“We anticipated this and the girls anticipated this, especially the way the game went in the early minutes,” Lady Cyclones head coach Bill McClay said. “We talked about needing to have focus and concentration and I think that is something we can always improve on.
“Today was a learning lesson on positives and things we will need to do win our conference.”
Shell had a pair of goals and moved into third place on the EHS all-time goal-scoring list with her 64th career goal.
“I knew I was close, but I didn’t have any idea that I would reach that goal tonight,” Shell said. “I knew I was somewhere close and I owe a lot of it to my teammates.
“I want to congratulate Lexi Brown – she scored five goals tonight and that is great.”
Brown scored in the third minute with Shell following with her first tally just three minutes later for a 2-nil Cyclones lead.
Robey scored in the 12th minute when she re-directed Brown’s corner kick into the net when Ashley’s save did not clear the penalty area.
It was Brown delivering once again in the 20th minute and the Cyclones scored goals in consecutive minutes in the 26th, 27th and 28th minutes with Johnson, Norris, and Brown each torching the back of the UC net for a 7-nil EHS advantage.
Brown scored twice more before the end of a torrid first half with Shell getting her record-setting goal in the 38th minute. EHS improves to 4-1 overall and now stand 2-0.
“We used this opportunity to possess the ball well and that will help us when we play against teams like Tennessee High and of course, Greeneville,” McClay said. “Some big positives were it is a conference win, we got the shutout and we got some kids into the game in positions they haven’t played before.”
EHS 10-0
Unicoi County 0 – 0
Elizabethton 10 – 10
Scoring summary
First Half
E – Brown (unassisted) 3:00
E – Shell (unassisted) 6:00
E – Robey (assist Brown) 12:00
E – Brown (unassisted) 18:00
E – Johnson (assist Holsclaw) 26:00
E – Brown (corner kick) 27:00
E – Norris (unassisted) 28:00
E – Brown (unassisted) 29:00
E – Shell (unassisted) 39:00
E – Brown (unassisted) 40:00
