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Lady Mustang soccer team claims first victory of season over Eagles
After being shutout in its first five games, Smoky Mountain’s soccer team not only scored its first goal but also picked up its first win with a 3-0 Western Athletic Conference victory last Thursday at East Henderson.
“It felt great to get the win, but it wasn’t our best showing of the year,” said Coach Carolyn Warhaftig, who pointed to a 1-0 loss at Brevard as an overall better performance.
The first of Terra Mileti’s two goals came on a breakaway at the five-minute mark putting the Lady Mustangs (1-5, 1-1) on the board for the first time this season.
Smoky Mountain’s Courtney Spaulding plays the ball in front of her during last week’s 3-0 victory at East Henderson. – Herald photo by Carey Phillips
“That felt great, especially for Terra,” Warhaftig said. “She’s been working extremely hard.’
Hannah Painter had a hand in both goals during the second half.
“Both of those were 100 percent hustle by Hannah getting to the ball,” the coach said.
The first came at the 67-minute mark when Painter was fouled in the box. Sarah Newbold put home the resulting free kick making it 2-0.
Mileti ended the scoring at the 70:30 mark with an assist from Painter.
The Lady Mustang JVs rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to take a 4-2 win and improve to 2-3.
Coach Kevin Norris said his team came out flat but began to recover at the 27-minute mark of the first half on the first of Sara Larcher’s three goals.
Alyssa Walawender scored early in the second half with Larcher connecting twice.
“The team could have given up easily after those first two goals, but they showed resiliency and composure, and I’m particularly proud of the way they fought back into the game,” Norris said.
He singled out Aly Sapienza and Michelle Provost for their midfield play and Sarah Cheatham and Alex Briggs for their defense. Kayla Moore was cited for her versatility and willingness to play different positions.
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