NEW MARKET — It was looking as if the Southmont girls soccer team was headed for yet another overtime game this season on Tuesday as they played host to county rival Crawfordsville.
The two teams were deadlocked in 0-0 tie as the clock ticked under ten minutes remaining in the game, but that’s when senior Marissa Craig lifted the Mounties to a 1-0 win with a goal at the 6:19 mark.
“We had many shots on goal tonight that just didn’t fall through,” Craig said. “I just kept telling my team to stay strong and that the goal would come. It was kind of stressful getting into that 74th minute but we were finally able to get one to go down.”
The win for the Mounties (2-8, 1-6 SAC) came snapped a six-game losing streak for the team. Coach Phil Keller was happy for his team to get back in the win column.
“It feels nice to be back on the winning side of things,” he said. “Throughout the game we didn’t do a great job of finishing the chances we had near the goal. I think they showed great determination out there tonight to get that goal. I think this will start to boost our confidence going forward as we start preparing for the post-season.”
Craig has been a constant on offense all season for the Mounties and being one of the senior leaders for the team, and Keller had nothing but praise for her after the game.
“She’s always working hard out there,” he said. “The goals will start to come her way if she continues to fight for them the way she did tonight. You never know when they might happen, but I know they will.”
For the Athenians, they were playing just their second game back after a 20-day layoff because of having to quarantine due to COVID-19. Despite the rust, coach Laurie Vellner walked away from Tuesday night’s game feeling good about the way her team performed.
“We had a great energy level in the first half,” Vellner said. “Having the amount of time that we had off, to come out and play the way we did after I’m very proud of my girls and how they played. They seemed to pick up right where we left off which was very pleasing to see.”
One of the challenges for the Athenians coming into the season was replacing goalie Sierra Hutchison. Freshman Zoey Corbin has taken over in the net and against the Mounties made some nice saves to keep the score all tied.
“She has gotten better every single game and its amazing to see,” Vellner said. “In high school that is unheard to watch a player get better in every game they play. She’s learning more and more each time out and developing her skills and techniques and doing a fantastic job as a freshman.”
Crawfordsville (0-7, 0-2 SAC) will have to get ready for another county test on Thursday as the Athenians will travel to North Montgomery (7-5, 2-3 SAC).
The Mounties will have a week off before hosting Benton Central next Tuesday.
