Murphy – The Lady Bulldogs’ soccer team tied with Swain County 1-1 on Thursday.
With the draw, Murphy can no longer win the Smoky Mountain Conference, but neither can the Lady Maroon Devils. From the start, the match was high intensity, with both sides wanting to win.
The entirety of the match was played end to end, with both teams having scoring opportunities. Senior Lailee Holloway scored the first goal of the match with 13:49 left in the first half. She took a shot from outside the box and buried it into the top corner. Shyla Coleman had the assist on the goal.
This gave Murphy a 1-0 lead that they maintained until 19:43 left in the second half, when Swain scored the equalizer. After 80 minutes, the match was still tied and the match went to extra time.
Per N.C. High School Athletic Association rules for all conference soccer games, if the scored is tied after regulation, there are two 10-minute periods. If the game is still tied, it is ruled a draw.
The two extra-time periods were back and forth between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Maroon Devils. Both teams had scoring chances, but neither could find the back of the net.
Murphy goalkeeper and senior Emma Ledford came up big and made 19 saves against Swain. With every save she made, the fans at David Gentry Field loudly cheered. Holloway also came up big and got the momentum going for Murphy in the first half.
Isabel Parker led the team in steals with 13. Tyra Nelson and Breeze Hinton had 12 each.
Lady Bulldogs head coach Kim Brownlee said they played great against Swain.
“We came out really aggressive. We came out playing the first half the way we’ve been trying to all season, and I think we were the aggressor,” she said. “We really kind of caught them back on their heels. We had our opportunities, just like they did, and then we played really well. We tried to combat them defensively and handle those big transitions, but you saw the game, it was end to end. You know, you’re getting into end-to-end games and you’re stretching the field out really wide, and it just takes an inordinate amount of conditioning.
“And we tried rolling in subs, but it was really tough tonight because I had some great subs coming off the bench, but speed was a factor. So you know, trying to be able to match them in their speed made it a little harder to substitute. And we were running on fumes. No doubt about it. We were operating on fumes, they were too. That’s why it was a one to one game. It was two tough, aggressive warriors out there battling it out. It hurt Swain, you know, Swain couldn’t afford to tie. This will be tough for them.”
Holloway’s first half goal was her 101st goal of her high school career. She scored her 100th against Hayesville on April 25. She is the first girl and second Murphy soccer player to reach 100 career goals at Murphy. The only other person in Murphy soccer history to record 100 goals in their high school career was Thai Welborn (Class of 2013) with 106 goals during his time at Murphy. This is her highest scoring season with 32 goals so far. After the match seniors Ledford and Holloway were honored. Ledford said that the Murphy soccer program has meant everything to her. “After a rough day, you just go and have fun with your friends at practice or you get to come and play a game with all your friends and its fun. It means a lot to me. It’s a good time all the time,” Ledford said.
Holloway also said that the program means a lot to her. “I always look forward, every year, to soccer season and just being able to be with everybody. A lot of times, you’re forced to have these relationships because you’re on the same team, but I feel like we enjoy them. There’s no drama, we work hard everyday and Coach Kim supports us so much,” Holloway said. “We’ve been through a lot together and some of these friendships that I have, they’re my best friendships and I’m going to stay friends with them for the rest of my life. I’ve learned so much. How to fight, how to be a leader and how to be there for each other.”
The Lady Bulldogs await their opponent for the first round of the state 1A playoffs. Bracketing is Friday, when they will find out who they are playing. The first date possible for the first round is Monday.