By JON WEBB
Glasgow Daily Times
GLASGOW —
For most of the 2010 season, head coach Meagan Powell has described the Lady Scotties as a “second half team.” But the soccer squad failed to live up to its reputation Tuesday night.
Four first-half goals, including three from Kelsey Greer, fueled a 7-1 Glasgow win over Warren East at the Glasgow-Barren County soccer complex. Greer netted four scores overall, while Micha Elmore and Kennedy Pruitt each added one. Powell said the fast start originated from a “big talk” she had with the team after its 4-4 tie against Franklin-Simpson on Aug. 24. In that matchup, the Lady Scotties fell behind 3-1 before rallying for the tie.
“We had a big talk about coming out ready to play,” she said. “No matter what team we play, we are going to take every team seriously.”
Greer certainly took that talk to heart. The sophomore broke free of the East defense mere minutes into play and rolled the ball into the back of the net to give the Lady Scotties an initial 1-0 lead. Elmore nearly doubled the advantage on the next Glasgow possession when she clanged a shot off the top post.
About 10 minutes into the contest, Greer succeeded where Elmore barely failed and upped the lead to 2-0. Breakaway opportunities abounded for Glasgow after the second goal, and two minutes later Greer capitalized again and ballooned Glasgow’s advantage to three.
The sophomore and fellow captain Elmore continued to target East’s keeper as the half progressed. Another Elmore kick rang off the post, and wing-woman Brooklyn Pedigo joined in with a shot on goal midway through the first stanza. Elmore finally connected in the half’s waning moments, when she weaved through the Lady Raiders’ defense and fired in a kick from the slot.
By the 49th minute of the contest, Glasgow saw its lead expand to six. Greer once again freed herself from East defenders in the 44th and found Elmore on a wing to up the lead to five. Six hundred or so seconds after, Elmore returned the favor, assisting Greer on her final score of the contest.
Lady Scottie substitutes flooded the field for the majority of the second half. The younger players allowed Warren shots on goal in the 49th and 51st. Glasgow continued its offensive aggression, though, placing shots courtesy of Elmore and Meghan Taylor.
In the 72nd minute, the Lady Raiders straightened out their scoring column zero. An injury and miscommunication with referees left only 10 Lady Scotties roaming the field, giving Warren a brief advantage of which it was more than happy to take advantage, slicing the Glasgow lead to 6-1.
Pruitt erased any East momentum a minute from the final horn. A swarm of Lady Scotties inundated the Warren goal in the 79th, and the junior came away with a score to cap the game at 7-1.
Powell praised her team’s performance after the matchup — especially the efforts of her two captains.
“(Greer and Elmore) know how to be selfish and unselfish,” she said. “They’re upset if they don’t score, but they’re also upset if they don’t help others score.
“And that’s what makes a perfect team player.”
The Lady Scotties hope to parlay Tuesday’s win into another victory when they face Pulaski Southwestern on Thursday. As of Wednesday morning, Pulaski stands atop Region 15 at 7-1. The squad has outscored opponents 36-6 thus far.
Tuesday’s victory improves Glasgow’s record to 3-2-1.
