Lady Chiefs edge Creekview, 1-0

Shots were a plenty, but goals were not easy to come by, as the Creekview Lady Grizzlies and the Sequoyah Lady Chiefs battled through a scoreless opening half, before a second-half goal proved to be the difference in a 1-0 victory for the Lady Chiefs, Friday night at Creekview.

"I'm proud of the girls," Sequoyah coach Bill Dillon said. "With a young team, we've been faced with some adversity this year... I don't know what to expect night to night. "But we showed up (Friday) and I just hope we keep riding the wave."

With Lady Chiefs' freshman keeper Colby LaFever and Creekview sophomore Katelyn Caudill - filling in for sidelined starter Jessica Estes, who suffered a concussion in the Lady Grizzlies' 3-2 loss to No. 4 state-ranked North Hall on March 3 - on top of their games, it was the slightest mishap that determined the outcome in the contest. With 24:26 left to go, Caudill knocked down a Sequoyah shot out in front of the goal, but Creekview could not clear the ball before Lady Chiefs freshman Maddie Tully booted the ball in from 20 feet out for the lone score.

In attempt to rally, the Lady Grizzlies turned up the heat down the stretch, but could not find a way past LaFever, who turned away a handful of shots in over the final 7:40 of play. "You misclear a ball and leave them an open shot, they're going to put it away," Creekview coach Kerri Schmitt said.
"(LaFever) and their defense did a phenomenal job, which didn't give us too many opportunities to get in the goal. It was just one of those games. I thought my girls girls played with a lot of heart, but unfortunately, I think we needed another 20 minutes."

Along with a strong effort by Caudill, Creekview junior stopper Megan Hill did her part in holding Sequoyah's high-scoring junior striker Katelyn Rikel (13 goals) in check. But while she was kept off the board, Rikel still did her part. "She kept the pressure on (Creekview) and that obviously helped us out," Dillon said of Rikel. "We were able to keep the ball on the offensive end longer than I expected.
"One of my concerns was us getting back on our heals some, but Rikel kept us on our toes."