Starkville girls drop match to Tupelo
January 19, 2011
Starkville's Meagan Moorhead, right, collides with a Tupelo defender. (Kim Murrell/SDN)
By DANNY P. SMITH
sdnsports@bellsouth.net
It wasn't the fact that the Starkville Lady Yellowjackets didn't score that was on the mind of soccer coach Anna Albritton the most.
Giving up six goals during the 6-0 loss to the Tupelo Lady Golden Wave on Thursday was more of a point of emphasis.
"It's not how do you score against them, but how do you defend against them," Albritton said. "That's what we've got to work on because we've got talented girls. You can see the girls trying to do what they are supposed to do. If you watch that team, they hold a formation extremely well. I have girls that are not scared of the ball. They are not scared to tangle. It's just how do we defend.
"I'm not unhappy. We're going to learn a lot from this and hopefully Saturday (at Tupelo), we'll be a little bit better. We just need to take it and go with it."
It was the first loss for Starkville in the three-team division and it fell to 11-3 overall. Tupelo improved to 17-0 overall and 2-0 in the division.
After scoring four goals in the first half, the Lady Wave added two more in the second half.
Tupelo coach Shelley Miller said her squad uses teammwork as a formula for success.
"We're playing really well right now and playing together," Miller said. "We have a great group from top to bottom. They play as a team and for each other."
The Lady Jackets didn't get a shot on goal until just before the 30-minute mark of the second half.
Albritton said the Lady Wave roster is loaded with Select players that SHS just doesn't have.
"She probably fields 11 and I field about four at the most," Albritton said.
Caroline Berryhill was brought in as goal keeper for Starkville as the regular keeper was sitting out for disciplinary reasons.
"There are some issues there to be rectified, but Caroline Berryhill went in and I knew she has a history of playing goal keeper for her Select team," Albritton said. "She stepped up and I thought she did a fine job. A lot of the goals that were scored on her, there was nothing a goal keeper could do. It was just a breakdown in defense."
Senior Morgan Miller returned to the lineup for the Lady Jackets after Christmas. Miller has been working to get back in shape after suffering a broken ankle and Tuesday was the first time she had played an entire match this season.
Miller and the other seniors will be recognized during the last home match for Starkville Thursday against Columbus. The action begins at 5 p.m.
