Heritage Academy junior Sarah Curtis thought her Patriots played their best game of the season Tuesday.
But against Lamar, a big, aggressive opponent, even the best wasn’t enough.
The Raiders scored two goals less than three minutes apart, staking themselves to a 2-0 lead within the first 15 minutes of the match, and added two more in the second half for a 4-1 win over the Patriots on the road.
Curtis scored the only goal for Heritage Academy (7-6) in its final match of the season, ripping a hard shot off Lamar goalkeeper Bayleigh Brent and over the goal line just a few minutes after Lamar grabbed a 2-0 lead.
“I think I just hit it a little harder than I thought, and it just rolled off her and luckily went in,” Curtis said.
She credited the goal to a cross from Lizzy Wright, one of the team’s three seniors to play in their final match as Patriots. Heritage Academy didn’t qualify for the playoffs, so Tuesday was the end of the line for Wright, Taylor Phillips and Ashlyn Glover.
“We have three really good seniors, and I’m gonna miss them, because they’re really big assets to the team,” Curtis said.
The Patriots’ strength, though, lies in their junior class of six players, including Curtis and goalkeeper Haven Tuggle.
Even after Tuggle conceded three goals Tuesday, Patriots coach Tom Velek maintained his faith in her as the best goalie in the state, noting that Lamar’s third goal came on an Alexandria Rowland blast from some 30 yards away.
“That’s a beautiful shot and there’s no pressure on ’em,” Velek said.
Lamar used Heritage Academy’s light pressure to its advantage often.
Sarah Pierce Swift came up unmarked to redirect a rebound into the net the Raiders’ first goal in the 12th minute. In the 14th minute, Lamar was closing in on the Pats’ goal and Reagan Merchant committed a foul in the box that sent Rowland to the penalty spot. While Tuggle dove left, Rowland dove the ball into the lower right corner to double Lamar’s lead.
“That’s hers all day,” Lamar coach Nina Galindo said. “Alexandria played so well for me today. She gave us a lot of heart today, and I think that passion really showed and helped us light that fire under everyone.”
Curtis’ goal in the 18th minute fired up the Heritage bench and kept the game close until halftime, but Lamar put the game away not long into the second half.
In the 50th minute, Rowland unleashed her shot from distance over Tuggle’s head and into the top of the goal, and Lydia Hutcherson scored in the 67th minute.
Hutcherson’s goal didn’t come against Tuggle but against backup Carly Rogers, whom Velek wanted to exhibit in goal. Despite the goal, Velek expressed confidence in Rogers’ play.
“I think the one that got by would have been hard for anybody to stop, and she had some really good saves,” Velek said. “For her to step up and be composed, it was really impressive.”
Rogers is another member of the Pats’ standout junior class, a group that offers much promise for next season.
“Next year we’re expecting big things out of that group,” Velek said.
But he acknowledged that he’s already gotten big things from them and the team as a whole. The Patriots’ season is over, but they finished with a winning record, making it the first time in 20 years, Velek said, that Heritage Academy has had back-to-back winning seasons.
“We can really start building a program that expects to win instead of one that expects to lose,” Velek said. “I think that’s really important for us.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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