On Friday evening Avery closed out its regular season in Columbus with a road test against Western Highlands Conference champions and second-ranked Polk County. As was the case in a scoreless tie in the match earlier in the season, the two squads played skilled soccer as the game was scoreless through the first 72 minutes of action. In the 73rd minute, however, Polk County’s Kaitlin Franks squeezed a shot into the back of the net for the only goal of the match. Avery rallied frantically to net the equalizing goal, but a pair of late-game shot attempts was turned away by the Lady Wolverines to escape with the victory.
“The girls really step up to the level of their competition, and we have played Polk tougher than any team this season,” Coach Tom Evaul remarked. “We can leave here with our heads up. Our defense has been the heart and soul of our team, and they have done a fantastic job. We’re proud of the effort and our defense is a key to our game right now.” The Lady Vikings end the regular season with a record of 14-4-2 overall, and 8-3-1 in conference play. Avery enters the 2008 state playoffs as a wild card and will have a chance for revenge against the Lady Wolverines this Wednesday afternoon.
