On a gorgeous evening for soccer, the Avery Lady Vikings celebrated Senior Night at Lees-McRae College, a 'home away from home', so to speak, with a 3-0 shutout victory on Wednesday evening.Avery honored seniors Kate Griewisch and Katie Peters prior to the opening kick and the Big Red played a solid soccer match to send the girls off on a winning note in their final home match of their prep careers.
Elyse Perry put the Vikings on the board in the first half at around the 8-minute mark. Avery found itself with additional scoring opportunities, but unlike the teams' first meeting the Lady Mountaineers played competitive and improved soccer, preventing the Avery squad from cashing in for another score in the half. The Avery defense remained stout throughout, however, holding Mitchell scoreless in the half for a 1-0 lead at intermission.
Avery struck for a second goal early in the second half as Peters' foot found the ball and zipped a shot past the Mitchell keeper to double the Vikings' advantage. At around the 63-minute mark, Peters scored a second goal, this time off a direct kick to provide the Big Red with a 3-0 margin.
The Avery defense did the rest of the work, as the team remained relentless throughout the match in holding the Lady Mountaineers scoreless in both meetings for the season. Cailan Calloway was sterling in net, as she registered her ninth shutout of the season and the Lady Vikings improved to 14-3-2 on the season.
It was a good win for the Lady Vikings and a fitting tribute to a pair of seniors who have been anchors for a group of younger and talented teammates.
"This was perfect tonight and exactly what we were looking for," Avery coach Lou Brancourt said after the win. "I thought Mitchell played a really smart game and stayed back, making it harder for us to score. They have improved, but we were a very calm team tonight. We had several college scouts here today and I believe this is the kind of soccer they are looking for in their players, a calm and patient. 10-0 scores are not fun games, but 3-0, that's a soccer score."
The win was a good one leading up to Friday's showdown at Polk, but it also showed some areas the Lady Vikings need to continue to fine tune. "We still need to do some things better without the ball, and not just with kicking, passing, and dribbling," the coach added. "We can still be better with positioning and talking, as well as support and body language."
Coach Brancourt was very complimentary of the Lady Viking seniors. "I remember Katie walking in at the Hickory Jamboree after winning the JV basketball tournament. I had heard about Katie Peters for a long time. I remember it like it was yesterday. She was sneaky and quick as a young player, and she is the best captain and role model for a team that you could ask for. She's just full of energy and fighting spirit, yet can score goals and even play calmly when she has to," the coach said.
"What Kate does in our back line is amazing. She's able to take the ball and dribble around players or steal a dribble like it's nothing. She is the kind of player that can be used more and used all over the field. She makes difficult moves look easy. Both the girls are great and all you can ask for out of senior captains and leaders. The two are definitely special and have been great to work with."
