Freshman Mary Chesnut Smith (pictured) tallied two of the Avery scores on the night. Katie Peters began the scoring with a goal in the game's seventh minute off a Melinda Eggers assist. Madison answered the goal quickly, within 30 seconds in fact, to tie the match at 1-1.
In the 21st minute Avery took advantage of a direct kick after the Madison goalie collided outside the box with Avery's Katie Peters. Smith made the Patriots pay for the mistake, curling a shot into the left half of the goal as Avery retook the lead at 2-1, a lead that they held at intermission.
Avery further padded its lead in the second half with a pair of goals. Smith struck again for her second goal in the game's 50th minute to take a 3-1 advantage, while in the 59th minute Melinda Eggers closed the scoring as she rushed toward the goal on a direct kick, caught her foot on a rebound and guided a shot into the back of the net for the 4-1 victory.
"The goal that Madison scored was a mistake, but I'd rather us make it against Madison than against Polk. Mistakes happen, but we were confident we could come back from the mistake and be alright," Avery soccer coach Lou Brancourt said after the win. "Tonight we tried to manage the match, our fitness, and the mental side to prepare ouselves for the bigger games coming up in the season. As coaches we don't try to ask for too much, and at halftime we didn't yell or scream at the girls and they responded well from the talk."
Avery does much more than just score goals, as the team's defense has held opponents to only a 1.07 GAA (Goals Against Average) for the season. "The girls work hard on the defensive side. The work of Katelynn Eudy in the middle is like having both a defensive midfielder and a stopper in one," Coach Brancourt said. "She and Chesnut are able to cover a lot of space and control the field. It allows us to make a faux pas from time to time and still recover."
Avery takes on Owen at MacDonald Stadium on Wednesday at 5 p.m. and host Erwin High School on Thursday at 5 p.m.
