Lady 'Clones tame 'Blazers

By Allen LaMountain
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
awlamountain@starhq.com

   Elizabethton bounced back from a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Tennessee High on Tuesday to put a 6-1 hurting on the Daniel Boone Lady Trailblazers on Thursday night at Brown-Childress Stadium.
   The Lady Cyclones improved to 7-6 overall, while Daniel Boone fell to 2-9-1 on the season.
   "Our kids hustled, but we got beat fundamentally," said Boone head coach Mark Dugan. "Execution-wise EHS is way ahead of us. We just have to stay on course and keep improving. It's a time process."
   Junior Katie Presnell and sophomore Samantha McClay each tallied two goals while freshman Shayna Borland and junior Cassidy Hyatt got into the scoring column once each for EHS.
   The Lady Cyclones took a three-nil halftime lead and never looked back in trouncing Boone as McClay got 'Betsy on the scoreboard with an unassisted goal three minutes into the contest.
   Boone sophomore goalkeeper Ariel Dye made a miscue by not clearing the ball out of the goal box after a shot by Ashley Green, and McClay jumped on the gift to score her 15th goal of the season.
   Presnell gave 'Betsy a two-goal lead with a shot at the 25-minute mark with an assist going to Jessica Higgins. Higgins possessed the ball in the Boone goal box, but with a defender charging, Higgins slid a pass through to Presnell, who knocked it home.
   Presnell scored just two minutes later as Boone made another costly mistake deep in its defensive end and Presnell took advantage to give EHS a three-nil lead at the break.
   "Katie Presnell had a good match," said EHS head coach Bill McClay. "We had an awful lot of shots tonight, but (Boone) got on the board first in our last game and we had to rally back. Tonight we got a lead early and I was pleased with that. Boone plays very physical and I was proud we stood right in there."
   The Lady Cyclones held an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal in the first half as Boone had trouble mounting a consistent offensive attack. Overall EHS outshot Boone by a 20-3 margin for the match.
   Borland opened the scoring in the second half, at the 47-minute mark, and just minutes later Borland setup Hyatt for a goal to make it a 5-nil contest.
   Borland got her goal on a jailbreak when Green knocked down a clearing pass out of the Boone goal box. Green played the ball to the middle, where another Lady Blazer defender was unable to move the ball upfield successfully and Borland took possession.
   She drove in on Dye and beat her to her left with a solid blast.
   "The kids effort level is there, but we have holes," said Dugan. "If I load up defensively then we can't score, and if I go offense then we lose on defense. So we have holes to fill."
   Hyatt's tally was the product of yet another Boone miscue in the defensive end as the Lady Cyclones were now swarming toward the Blazers' goal. Borland and Hyatt had a nice give-and-go and Hyatt drove the ball into the net.
   McClay netted her 16th goal in the 62nd minute of regulation off a direct kick from 30 yards out that beat Dye just under the top crossbar to give 'Betsy a six-nil lead.
   Boone got on the board moments before the final whistle as Amanda Mack had a direct from 25 yards out to beat EHS goalkeeper Allison Cook for the only tally of the night for the Lady Trailblazers.
   "This is her first year playing," commented McClay. "That (goal) was unfortunate, but it was a tough shot. The kids all played real hard, and the score approximated the game. (Boone's) keeper is very good. She doesn't mishandle the ball, and we sent a lot of shots at her."
   EHS notes: The Lady Cyclones play next Monday at David Crockett before finishing the regular season with Morristown East on Tuesday. McClay's 16 goals and three assists give her a total of 35 points for the season, as she leads all region scorers.