Lady Rams fall in MVAC match

BOONVILLE — Soccer is a game of chance, all it takes is a lucky bounce or in some cases an unlucky bounce, to determine the outcome of the game. On Thursday afternoon under cloudy skies, the Starmount Lady Rams soccer team hosted the Lady Elks of Elkin. Starmount took a 1-0 lead early in the game, but the Lady Elks were able to answer back to take a 4-2 win.

In the first half of play, the Elks and the Rams remained neck and neck as they battled for the ball at midfield. A majority of the first eight minutes of the game was spent in between the two 18-yard boxes. Just as one team would try and break into the others box, the ball would be cleared out by the defense. This style of play went on until Starmount was able to earn a corner kick.

Off of the kick, The Lady Elks cleared the ball out of the box. As the ball was cleared, Emma Freed turned the ball around and put it in the box. As the Rams were running onto the ball, a player was pulled down and a penalty kick was awarded to the home team. Meyli Carrasco stepped up to take the kick and was able to slide the ball past the Elkin keeper. The Lady Rams put up their first goal of the night to take a 1-0 lead with 28 minutes left in the half.

Before Starmount had a chance to dig in and celebrate their goal, the Lady Elks had pushed onto their offensive side. Maggie Hall was taking the ball into the box when she was tripped up from behind. A penalty kick was awarded to the visiting team, as a chance to tie the game was on the line. Selena Islas set up the ball on the penalty marker and as soon as the whistle blew she took her shot. The ball sailed into the left corner of the goal, and the Lady Elks had tied the game 1-1 with 24:48 left before halftime.

As the first half continued on, both teams began to put more shots on goal. In the 32nd minute Hall had a shot on goal that was saved by Starmount’s keeper, Emily Parker. Just two minutes after Hall’s shot, the Rams were on offense with the ball at Carrasco’s feet. Carrasco was able to put a hard shot on goal which found its way into the back of the net. The shot gave Starmount a 2-1 lead over Elkin.

As the final three minutes of the half started to tick by, Elkin’s midfielders started stringing passes together. Margaret Freeman, Islas, and Chandler Beals all combined to put the at Hall’s feet. Hall ran onto the ball and put it on her right foot. She then was able to control the ball and take a clean shot towards the goal. The ball flew past the keeper and into the net to tie the game 2-2. As the first half came to a close, both teams were level with a 2-2 score.

As the second half began, both teams kept up even pressure. Although shots were being taken by both teams, it was not until the 68th minute that the seal was broken. Hall passed the ball over to Beals, who wasted no time taking a shot. Beals hit a hard shot past the Starmount keeper to give the Lady Elks a 3-2 lead.

The final goal of the night came from the foot of Islas for a 4-2 Elkin lead. The Lady Elks were able to hang on to see the rest of the half out and come away with the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference win.

With the win, the Lady Elks are now 5-2-1 in the MVAC, while Starmount moves to 3-5.