D’burg puts Westview on road

By RANDY CAVIN
Press Sports
Westview came up short once again to Dyersburg in the Region 7A-AA Girls Soccer Tournament Tuesday night, a penalty kick in a sudden death overtime period sealing the Lady Chargers’ fate in a 3-2 decision.
Westview will now have to play on the road in Jackson and face Sacred Heart in the sectional game with the winner advancing to the state tournament.
It took two 10-minute overtime periods and two five-minute sudden death periods to decide the region winner.
Westview’s Alex Crosser inadvertently pushed Dyersburg’s Katherine Keller in the penalty box at 2:35 into the second sudden death period while both players were going after the ball. Keller was able to get her penalty just past the left of Westview’s senior goalkeeper Makenzie Vincent.
An emotional Matt Cupples was proud of the way his girls played against a very tough Lady Trojan team.
“They played their hearts out,” Cupples said while fighting back his emotions. “We played so hard this year and have such a tight-knit team. We came out here an executed our plan as well as we could. All the credit goes to Dyersburg. They played their butts off tonight.”
Both teams went into the game as No. 1 seeds from their respected divisions, and the rivalry between them has now grown even more. Neither team could get the upper hand in a scoreless first period. Alexus Taylor made it a 1-0 game with 25-yard kick at the 36:18 mark in the second period.
Keller tied the game at one with 33:48 to play when she got a kick past Vincent in front of the net. Brittney Johnson got the lead back for Westview when she got around a Dyersburg defender and slipped one by the Lady Trojans’ keeper.
Keller tied the game up with second goal of the game with 13:04 to play in regulation. Westview only got eight shots at the net in regulation. Vincent had 12 saves.
Dyersburg had one goal nullified with 31 minutes to play because of an offside penalty.
The Lady Charges did not get a shot at the net in the first 10-minute overtime, had two shots at it in the second, one in the first sudden death and two in the second sudden death. Vincent had two saves total in all four overtime periods.
“Tonight, we just did not make the plays when we needed to, and we had so many chances,” Cupples said. “If we go back and watch the film, we will kick ourselves a little bit about it. You have got to finish. That is to key.”
Westview will play Sacred Heart on Saturday at St. Mary’s Middle School’s soccer field located at 1665 U.S. 45 Bypass. Published in The WCP  10.25.12

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