CALEDONIA — There were only about 15 minutes left in the game with the Cavaliers trailing 3-1 and desperation was starting to set in. A ball over the top of the defense was played for senior Aven Matthews, who sprinted full speed to meet it near the corner flag. Her defender, realizing the ball was beyond her reach, gave up running to catch her, but Matthews kept going with everything she had until the ball rolled out of bounds.
She was limping as she returned to position, and was noticeably dealing with the after-effects when the final whistle blew and Caledonia had lost 4-1 to Choctaw Central, ending their season in the second round of the playoffs.
“It’s a testament to her work ethic and drive,” head coach Louis Alexander said, “but I feel like that encapsulates all of these kids here. They all have that in them and that was a perfect example of it, they give everything they have for me and each other. Lots of people see it in a game, a select few see it in practice, but that’s what we expect and that’s what they expect of each other and themselves.”
Mary Briggs Studdard scored the only goal of the game in a one-sided affair. The Cavaliers struggled to play their usual game of controlled possession, and the athleticism of Choctaw Central helped them to exploit space left when the Cavaliers did get numbers forward.
“Honestly, on both sides, I’m normally upset when we lose,” Alexander said. “This one hurts for a different reason because it’s the end of something special. We didn’t make it to Jackson as we’d hoped, but that’s not why it hurts. This was a journey with a great group of young people, resilient, positive kids.”
The loss was followed by another defeat for the boys, ending the season for both teams after a campaign that featured some dominant performances.
“I’ve done this for a long time, but this year I’ve had the most fun coaching with this group of kids,” Alexander continued. “Some of them I remember my first go around here, and being my third year back they’re really doing the intricate things that not a lot of high schoolers do. I’ve been pushing them and they’re so fun to coach.”
The heartbreak ran late in Caledonia on Tuesday, and it was nearing 10 p.m. as the final whistle blew for the fourth period of extra time in the boys’ game. There was nothing left between the Cavaliers and Leake Central, and only spot kicks could decide it after 110 minutes of deadlock, with the visitors winning the shootout, 4-3.
The Cavaliers conceded early but equalized just before halftime with a bit of luck on top of some excellent individual skill. Yoyo Kurosawa saw an opportunity to fire a shot from a distance, and though his strike was close to the keeper it was powerful enough that the shot was fumbled and allowed Kamryn Sellers to send the rebound into the net.
The Cavaliers had two near chances before penalties, one ending up in the back of the net only to be flagged for an offside call. It was a range of every emotion in a game where the sides couldn’t be separated.
It’s another year of close defeats for both teams, but the program continues to build strong teams under Alexander. He gave every credit to the players for buying into the vision, and despite the tears he knows he has a strong group coming back next year.
“I’m excited about their futures, and I’m excited about this younger crop of players coming up,” he said. “They’ve been at every session and we don’t separate JV with varsity. We try to train together, so the young kids have faced a high level at practice every day, and I’m excited for them to get their chance and see what they can do.”
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