By By Ryan Satcher/staff writer
Jan. 9, 2002
All streaks must finally come to an end. The Lady Wildcats of Meridian High lost to Northwest Rankin 1-0 in Tuesday night girls soccer action.
The loss was the first home loss for the Lady Wildcats in three-and-a-half years.
Hannah Tyler scored a first-half goal to help Northwest Rankin defeat Meridian.
In boys action, Meridian High played a strong second half of soccer, but it was not enough as it fell to Northwest Rankin 5-2.
The Lady Wildcats dominated most of the game but could not finish out their opportunities.
Northwest Rankin had the best chances to score early in the game. One opportunity came when Tyler got loose behind the defense and had a one-on-one chance against the goalie.
Sarah Denham charged out of the goal and made the great save to keep the game scoreless.
Just a few minutes later Ashley Davis got a chance as she broke free. Denham was again up to the challenge as she charged out and slid to kick the ball away.
Northwest Rankin finally finished an opportunity when Julia Larsen made a nice pass to Tyler who put the ball past the charging keeper and into the right corner of the goal to make the score 1-0.
Meridian finished off the half with a few chances. The first came when Leanna Baldner dribbled the ball in one-on-one against the keeper, but the shot went off her foot wide left of the goal.
Then a few minutes later Kortney Harris fed Catherine Bryan with a pass. The shot by Bryan went wide.
Late in the half the Lady Wildcats got another good opportunity when Bryan went one-on-one with the keeper.
The hard shot deflected off the keeper and towards the goal, but she recovered just in time to make the save.
The second half was dominated by Meridian, but still it could not get a goal to tie up the game.
Baldner broke free on the wing before the ball was deflected by the goalie. Before Meridian could get a shot on the open goal, a defender kicked the ball away.
Meridian got one more good chance when Baldner broke free.
She was tripped up by the goalie after the shot was saved and the ball went loose in the box.
Harris got off a good shot but the Northwest Rankin keeper made another nice save.
Northwest Rankin got few opportunities to score in the second half. It did have a good chance when a long throw in got loose in the box, but Denham made the save.
Meridian drops to 10-3 on the year. It will play in a rescheduled tournament in Vicksburg on Saturday. It will face Warren Central at 10 a.m. and Vicksburg at 1 p.m.
NW Rankin boys 5
Meridian 2
The Wildcats played a hard second half but could not overcome three first-half goals by Northwest Rankin.
Meridian twice cut the lead to two in the second half but could not get any closer in the 5-2 loss.
Northwest Rankin scored first when Hunter Travis' shot went off the post and in. It scored again later in the first when Jesse Purvis fed John Mark Tyler who beat the goalie to make the score 2-0.
Northwest Rankin finished out the first-half scoring when Robbi Oliveri made a nice move to make some space and shot the ball into the left side of the net to make the score 3-0 at half.
Meridian broke the shutout when Matt Griffin passed to Jay Barry who blasted the ball into the right side of the net from way out. Northwest Rankin got a goal on a penalty kick by Will Dendinger to make the score 4-1.
Then Andrew Gambrell's free kick from the wing was headed in by Peter Davidson to cut the lead to 4-2.
Wildcat goalie Chris Kitchens kept the game close down the stretch with great save after great save.
He stopped a few Northwest Rankin breakaways, but it was not enough. T. Mac Howard added a late goal to make the final 5-2.