The Aubrey Lady Chaparrals and Pilot Point Lady Cats faced off for the second time this season, with the Lady Chaps pulling out the close win 3-0 Feb. 28.
The win gives the Lady Chaps the season series at two games to none and earns them a playoff berth for the second year in a row.
“We came out a little flat,” Aubrey head girls soccer coach Kelli Baker said. “We had to expend a ton of energy on Tuesday against Gainesville to get a win, but this secured us a playoff spot. We took care of business, 3-0, and now all there is is looking forward to the postseason after next Tuesday.”
Aubrey scored its first goal when freshman Kali Madden delivered a dime to freshman Daniella Dominic-Etul, who snuck the ball past Pilot Point’s goalie 10 minutes into the first half.
The Lady Cats defense stiffened after that opening goal and kept the Lady Chaps off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half.
“They packed the middle of the field and didn’t give us any space when we got the ball,” Baker said. “… Hats off to Pilot Point. They had a game plan to pack the middle of the field, took some of our better players out and didn’t allow us any space or time on the ball.”
Aubrey made some adjustments during halftime and exploited holes in Pilot Point’s defense for two goals early in the second half, both by senior forward Macy Childers.
Childers’ first goal came off an assist from freshman Eva Jones, and the second came directly off a corner kick, putting the Lady Chaps up 3-0 and allowing them to take the win.
Aubrey followed the win over Pilot Point with a 2-0 over Panther Creek on Tuesday night to finish its regular season.
Pilot Point showed marked improvement in the rematch after losing the first meeting 100, using physical defense to hold Aubrey to 3 goals.
“I’m proud of my team,” Pilot Point head girls soccer coach Jessica Ledbetter said. “… We fought hard. We were winning 50-50 balls. We were getting physical, and that's what I want. I want us to play with passion, and I want us to take everything that we put into the game and leave it all in the field.”
Ledbetter said the home crowd at G.A. Moore Jr. Field at Massey Stadium and changes at practice helped the Lady Cats have a much stronger showing in the match.
“There’s always a little bit of extra excitement when you have that home field advantage, but we also had some conversations about changing a few aspects of our play,” she said. “Running through 50-50 balls, not being afraid to be aggressive in the air, how we're going to defend things like that, and I think that they just took it to heart, and they wanted to come out and compete.”
The Lady Cats followed the performance against the Lady Chaps, with a 10-0 loss against the Celina Bobcats on Tuesday night.
Pilot Point will face the Bonham Purple Warriors at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Massey Stadium.
