Near the end of the first half Tuesday against Starkville Academy, Heritage Academy won the ball back in the middle of the pitch.
Sophie Starks was sent through with a line-breaking pass and charged forward, but instead of laying off a pass for one of her teammates, she rifled a shot from a difficult angle across her body, and the ball thundered in off the underside of the crossbar to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead.
The goal was somewhat against the run of play considering how well the Volunteers were moving the ball, but it was certainly reflective of how the Patriots had grown into the game and created chances for themselves.
Starks’ goal was just the beginning as Heritage Academy (6-4) played with precision, pace and patience in its 4-0 win over Starkville Academy.
“Going into this game we knew we’ve struggled against SA for a couple years, so it was more of a mental block that we were facing at the start of the game,” Patriots head coach Jacob Hunt said of his team’s performance. “As we got more comfortable on the field we knew we could hang with this team, and we started to exploit the space they gave us. Our attackers did well making the runs and getting into space, taking 1v1s and being successful at the end of it.”
While the Vols possessed well for most of the game, finding key passes out of midfield and forward for the strikers to run onto, the Patriots responded with physicality, and when they won back possession, they looked forward for opportunities on the counterattack — like Starks’ opening goal.
The Vols came out for the second half with a similar purpose in their play and were aggressive in their attempts to get closer to the opposition’s goal. The Patriots had to deal with some scary moments from the Vols’ midfield playmakers, but ultimately the strategy that got their opening goal turned into a blueprint for building on the lead.
Another counterattack early in the second half led to a low-driven cross in from Chloe Boyd on the left wing, which turned into an own goal after bouncing in off the Starkville Academy goalkeeper. Boyd and Lillian Moody added the third and fourth goals, respectively, in similar fashion as the match drew to a close, sealing the win.
Hunt and the Patriots players were ecstatic after the emotional win, and on the other sideline the Vols were frustrated and upset after playing such a hard-fought match and coming up without a goal. They seemed not far away from producing a moment of magic to get themselves back in the game and will no doubt come away motivated to make their next chances count.
“All credit to SA,” Hunt said. “They played their hearts out, and we’re looking forward to the next game.”
Games between the two schools are often emotional tests as well as competitive ones, and the test on Tuesday was no exception. They will meet again for a return fixture in Starkville on Monday.
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