By Nolan Epstein
Moments after their match with MV-BT/Liberty (6-8-1) had concluded on Monday night, you could clearly tell that a 4-1 victory over the Lady Eagles meant just a little more than usual for the Greenwood Lady Jays (4-8).
Yes, it was indeed Senior Night as head coach Shelby Setzer’s club honored three impact players that are on the final stretch of their high-school careers. But throw in the fact that the Lady Jays also exacted revenge against a team that previously beat them earlier in the year and ended a three-game losing streak in the process, well, now you really have something.
Although the scoring was left up to a sophomore and a junior, Monday’s victory – which came against the top seed in its own district – was one that Greenwood’s senior class will likely not soon forget.
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“I think winning tonight for the seniors is huge,” Setzer said following the game. “For them to win tonight, especially against the number one seed in our district, it was a fantastic win.”
Sophomore sensation Emma McCall got things started for the Lady Jays near the midway point of the first half as she was able to find the net and give Greenwood a 1-0 advantage that ultimately held up to halftime.
At the 36:13 mark of the second period, that lead was stretched to 2-0 when junior teammate Tara Fowler struck from just beyond the penalty mark to put momentum firmly in Greenwood’s grasp.
After a goal by Liberty sophomore Abigail Reese managed to cut the lead in half less than three minutes later, the McCall-Fowler tandem struck once again as McCall rocketed in another goal in the 65th minute, while Fowler, for good measure, added one more goal to her tally in the final seconds of regulation.
“I really like them together, they’re great when they combine,” Setzer said of Fowler and McCall. “It’s great having Emma [McCall] in the middle because she’s a very strong center mid, and Tara [Fowler] is so fast and very skilled with the ball. When they work together, it’s a lethal combination.”
Coming into the game having scored one goal or less in their previous three contests, the Lady Jays put the right game together at the right time as district play approaches.
“I think that this is saying something because we lost earlier to [Liberty], 6-4,” Fowler said. “We didn’t think we were going to win districts and now we have a really good chance.”
Defender Yeaseo Kim, one of the three seniors on this season’s squad, shared Fowler’s sentiment and also stressed the importance of being mentally ready in the most crucial time of the 2017 campaign.
“Now we feel like we’re actually in shape and we just need to focus on the game,” said Kim. “Our mentality is really important. We have to focus on mentality as a team so we can work together.”
Greenwood, the 3-seed, takes on second-seeded Fair Grove in the C1D6 semifinals next Tuesday, while Liberty finishes up its regular season by hosting Poplar Bluff tomorrow.
