A hat trick and unusual goal send Captain Shreve to LHSAA girls soccer second round
All smiles with a mouthful of rubber band-enhanced braces, Alex Knight’s postgame persona was nothing like the intensity she portrayed during Friday’s 5-0 LHSAA Division I soccer playoff win over Thibodaux.
Knight, a sophomore forward, was all over the field showing up whenever the ball was within shooting distance of an opponent’s net. She delivered a hat trick for the Lady Gators (24-0-1) against the Lady Tigers (13-10-0) and missed at least three other attempts by mere inches. Her intensity, while under control, was non-stop.
“I couldn’t do this without my teammates. We practice a lot about going from out wide to inside and creating a lot of opportunities,” Knight said. “It was fun going to the second round and we hope to make it to state, of course.”
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The game featured an own goal accidently headed into the Lady Gator’s net by Thibodaux’s Ava Heard. Not surprisingly, Knight was near the scene of the crime and was ready to punch it in given the opportunity.
“I reached for it, but missed it and she just tapped it in,” Knight said. “It was unlucky for them.”
The first-round win came despite limited playing time by junior forward and 24-goal scorer Maddie Aubrey, who wearing a brace after tearing a ligament earlier this season and was allowed only 10 minutes of action against Thibodaux.
"When I first did it, it was kind of a deal-breaker because I was scared I wouldn’t be able to play again,” said Aubrey, who was sidelined most of her freshman season with a separate injury. “I started rehab, and it was tough, but it made me want to get back out there much faster.”
Byrd 4, Acadiana 0: Byrd (18-3-5) got goals from Claire Flurry, Katie Rose Stage, Lizzy Whitton and Ellie Lawrence in rolling into the second round of the LHSAA Division I state playoffs.
West Monroe 2, Airline 0: Katie Jump turned in a solid final performance as a Lady Viking (11-9-4) and Cat Webber delivered five key saves, but it wasn’t enough for Airline to advance against the Lady Rebels (18-5-3), who advance to play Captain Shreve.
Parkway 8, A.J. Ellender 0: The Lady Panthers (13-7-1) scored early and often against Ellender to advance to the Division II second round where they will host David Thibodaux (11-9-3).
Ruston 2, Beau Chene: The Lady Bearcats (7-8-3) were able to advance to the second round in Division II by topping Beau Chene (11-12-0).
Loyola 8, Rapides 0: The top-seeded Flyers (15-5-4) moved into the D-IV second round with the shutout over visiting Rapides (6-11-0). Loyola’s second-round opponent will be determined Sunday.
Northlake Christian 1, Calvary 0: The Lady Cavaliers (12-6-2) had their chances but couldn’t finish at home in Division IV. Ava Colvin was the Calvary Player of the Game.
Boys
Bossier 7, Livingston 1: The Bearcats (20-2-2) got three goals from Rony Carcamo, along with singles from Aidan Bamburg, David Rojas, Yoany Reyes and Jelson Sanchez in rolling into the D-III second round. Assists were by Rojas (2), Wilson Alvarado, Cristian Matamoros, Carcamo, Joshua Campos and Jeison Sanchez.
Brother Martin 5, Byrd 1: The Jackets (15-7-2) didn’t have enough firepower to stop lower-seeded Brother Martin in the D-I playoffs.
Sulphur 3, Benton 0: The Tigers (11-13-1) were shut out in the road loss in D-I.
Jimmy Watson covers Shreveport-Bossier area sports. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Captain Shreve girls soccer rides hat trick into LHSAA playoffs opener
