STARKVILLE — Unlucky was a fitting word for the Starkville Academy girls soccer team Tuesday morning.
In a sport where teamwork and possession passing can lead to beautiful creations, a stationary defender stymied some of the Lady Volunteers’ best work of the day.
As a result, Starkville Academy was unable to get the equalizer it needed and lost to Lamar School 2-1 in the season opener for both teams at the Starkville Sportsplex.
“With the formation (a 4-5-1), it requires a lot of patience because it is heavy in defense,” Starkville Academy coach Cole Andrews said. “We have a defensive midfielder, so we are actually running four midfielders. I told them they have to be patient and (scoring chances) will come if they keep doing what they are supposed to do and they know what to do.”
After Mary Love Hodge’s left-footed shot gave Lamar School a 2-1 lead, Starkville Academy countered with its best pressure. The Lady Volunteers built on a solid first half of possession with combination play by Sallie Kate Richardson, Jacey Williams, and Shelton Spivey. Williams’ pass from the right side found Richardson in the middle. The senior midfielder then slipped a diagonal ball to the left side to Spivey, who had time and space against the goalkeeper. Unfortunately, the right post didn’t give and Spivey’s shot plunked off it and deflected away.
Jordan Jackson and Richardson worked together to generate another scoring chance, but Richardson’s angled shot was stopped.
“Our offense usually works pretty good together, so when we get going it is just pass after pass after pass and we can connect a few of them, which turns into a pretty good shot,” Richardson said.
“I think we did OK (combining with each other) and it wasn’t the worst.”
Lamar School ended the match with a flurry, knocking one shot off the crossbar and heading another chance wide of the goal.
Coach Mike Crowe said his two-time defending Division II champions, who are moving up from Class AA to Class AAA, showed signs on the hot day, but he also credited Starkville Academy for a fine showing.
“We are a little out of shape, but I thought the girls moved the ball around pretty good,” Crowe said. “The main thing is a little more communication on the field and getting in shape. I am glad we got the win, but there are still a lot of things we have to work on.
“They are a good team. They have a real good team. I imagine we will see them in the playoffs if we both make it. They are a good team. ”
They are going to improve, and, hopefully we will improve. They have a real strong center mid who pushed up to striker. They pass the ball well, and I think they are like us. We aren’t in shape yet.”
Andrews said the combination play was the positive to take from the match.
He said not having coached the girls he opted to go to the 4-5-1 to help establish the defensive mind-set he hopes will lead to a stronger defense.
Still, he was pleased the players were able to transition into support roles and create triangles around the ball that enabled them to possess and to move the ball quickly.
Andrews, who worked as an assistant coach with Robert Gardner on the Starkville Academy boys soccer team, also would like to see his team communicate better. He said the girls team worked for a week in the preseason on defensive principles. The Lady Volunteers stuck with that defensive approach at the start, going with a 4-5-1 formation that featured Anna McKell as the team’s only forward.
Despite a new formation and a hot day in which temperatures soared into the mid 90s, Starkville Academy showed it is capable of building an attack with a possession game.
It did that even in the second half when McKell moved to goal in place of Janiece Pigg, who had to leave the game due to an illness.
Richardson, a member of the school’s two-time state championship girls basketball team, transitioned to forward and was involved in some of the Lady Volunteers’ best scoring chances.
“I would rather her play midfield because she has good vision and a good leg, but she also works very well as a holding forward with her size,” Andrews said.
Richardson, who returned to the team after a year’s absence, anchored the center of the field and helped orchestrate a series of quality chances in the first half.
Richardson combined with Spivey, McKell, and Williams on several forays that built the offense’s confidence.
Richardson even had a steal off high pressure that resulted in a give-and-go sequence with McKell that led to a shot and a save.
“I think we are still learning to play with each other and learning to come together,” Richardson said.
“I think we were a little rusty and a little nervous, but that should be out of the way now.”
Sydney Passons and Jackson also got involved in the attack as the Lady Volunteers seemed to build momentum late in the first half trailing 1-0.
McKell saw to it that Starkville Academy earned the equalizer with a nice individual move. She touched past a defender on the left edge of the box and moved along the endline.
Her initial shot was stopped, but she gathered the rebound and beat the goalkeeper in the 27th minute.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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