The Lady Devils soccer team traveled to Murphy on Thursday night to take on the Bulldogs in a key conference matchup. It would be another night of the Lady Devils taking a lot of shots. They took a total of 27 shots in the game compared to 7 shots by the Lady Bulldogs. Seventeen minutes into the game the Bulldogs would commit a foul in the box. Freshman Karena Cline would take the penalty kick for the Lady Devils. She would convert the penalty kick into a goal putting them up 1-0. The half would end with the Lady Devils holding on to the 1-0 lead.
In the second half the Lady Devils would add a second goal sixteen minutes in, when Sophomore Emmie Fuller would finish a shot by Junior Mahala Bird. Three minutes later the Lady Bulldogs would score a goal from about 30 yards out. With six minutes left in the game Senior Mazie Helpman would find Cline with a pass and Cline would score from 30 yards, putting the Lady Devils up 3-1. The Lady Devils would finish with the 3-1 win. “We played a good game overall.” said Coach Scott Cline. “We are still struggling with finishing, but our players are adjusting well to missing key players.”
Defensively Sophomore Anna Gray led the way with 13 Clears/Steals. She was followed by Freshman Sophie Matz with 6, Freshman Karena Cline, Sophomore Emmie Fuller and Junior Elke Reinert each with 4. The player of the game for the Lady Devils was Sophomore Emmie Fuller. “Emmie really picked it up as a defensive mid. She just recently stepped out of goal a few games ago and has made the transition really well,” said Coach Cline. “She played a major role in holding the Bulldogs leading scorer scoreless.”
The Lady Devils were scheduled to host Erwin on Friday, but Erwin canceled on Friday morning. This next week the Lady Devils are scheduled to play three games. On Monday they will travel to Hayesville for a 4:00 conference game. On Tuesday the Lady Devils will travel to Murphy to take on Tri-County for a 4:30 game. On Thursday they will host Cherokee for Senior Night at 6:00 for a conference matchup. Currently the Lady Devils remain tied with Highlands for first place in the Smoky Mountain Conference.