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Lady Mustangs lose to West; still wrap up spot in playoffs
Courtney Long scored off an assist from Lauren Ficker with four minutes remaining as Western Athletic Conference champion West Henderson blanked Smoky Mountain 1-0 on May 1 at Carr Hooper Stadium/Babe Howell Field.
Despite the loss, the Lady Mustangs clinched a spot in the state 1-A/2-A playoffs when Brevard and North Henderson tied that night.
Smoky Mountain’s Chelsea Parham controls the ball in last week’s 1-0 loss to conference champion West Henderson. – Herald photo by Carey Phillips
“There was a through ball on the left,” Coach Stephaen Delor said. “The ball passed one of our defenders and was crossed into the penalty box deep to the far post. One of our defenders was unable to clear, and the ball ended up at the feet of Long, who scored from 2 yards in the dying minutes of regulation.”
West dominated play with 17 shots to SM’s two. Amy Haggard kept the Lady Mustangs in the game with 16 saves. She was named player of the game along with the entire defense.
“Our players stepped up and gave West one of the tightest scores they’ve had in conference all year,” Delor said. “It was a great performance despite the loss. Our team is tight. They are friends, and it was a great team effort from the players to the coaches. A lot of character was unveiled, and the players showed their fans the heart they play with.”
The contest became somewhat controversial with Delor’s decision to play two varsity starters – Kelly Childress and Sarah Newbold – on the JVs that night. He strongly denied reports that he wanted to lose to obtain a better position for the playoffs.
The Lady Mustangs ended the season third in the WAC and were scheduled to play at Highlands at 7 p.m. Wednesday. They beat Highlands earlier this year.
Brevard, which finished second, was to play at South Stokes in the first round.
“Anyone who watched that game saw how the girls played their hearts out,” he said. “I would never tell my players not to win.”
He said the decision was based on giving the JVs a better opportunity to win. West and SM are the only schools in the WAC with JV teams. He said West also pulled some of their varsity players down although he didn’t indicate if any of those were starters.
Childress was used as sweeper because Cadence Railsback had not been with the team for two weeks due to illness and Childress was the only other player with sweeper experience, Delor said. The moves with Newbold and reserve Terra Mileti, who also played down, were to give the team a boost in scoring chances, he said. Katie Hayes, another reserve, also played on the JVs to strengthen the midfield, according to Delor.
“We were in a position with our varsity as far as the state playoffs are concerned to reward our younger players on the team by increasing their chance to win,” Delor said. “They have practiced really hard all season long and have not seen much playing time. West Henderson has always had a strong program and beating them would give us all a glimpse of what the future might hold for SMHS women soccer’s. That’s exactly what happened, and we are thrilled.”
The JVs only played five times this season and finished the year 3-2 with a 4-2 victory. They were 2-0 against West. Kyrie Gogolin scored three times in the JV game, and Mileti also had a goal.
“Those girls had worked hard all season and had barely got to play,” Delor said. “We were in a position so we might help them finish first in the conference. I did it for our community and did it for our kids.”
When they did not have a game, the JV players dressed for varsity games this season and several of them saw limited playing time.
Delor said he did not feel putting the starters down hurt the varsity’s chances of pulling an upset and handing the Lady Falcons their first league loss.
“Those players who played down are not a force to be reckoned with and are not the main players on our team,” Delor said. “There was no weakening of the team. It allowed our non-playing seniors who are on their way out a chance to play as well.”
Childress was a key player for the varsity in the games immediately preceding and following the West contest. She had the lone goal in a 1-0 win against North Henderson and also scored in a 2-0 victory over Pisgah.
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