By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Dylan Burnett An Arlington players gets off a shot that goes wide in front of Munford goalie Taylor Savage with her teammates Charleigh Callahan (24) and Destany Bowman (18) defending.
The Dylan Burnett Era is underway at Munford High School. The program’s second-ever soccer coach is ready to make his mark on Cougar Soccer with tough games. One of those contest on the 2015 schedule was the Arlington Lady Tigers visiting Tipton County last Thursday. Burnett’s Lady Cougars were primed for the challenge only trailing 1-0 at halftime behind stellar play from goalie Taylor Savage. The final 40 minutes belong to Arlington with 4 goals leading to a 5-0 victory. “We’re trying to move this program to the next level,” Burnett said. “If you look at our schedule, we’ve buffed it up quite a bit. We’ve never played Arlington here. We played FACS at the beginning. We’re playing Ensworth, Hutchinson and White Station. We’re trying to improve the play of our girls. I’m very happy in the way we’re going.” The first 40 minutes the Lady Cougars attempted several shots on the Lady Tiger goalie. Munford was able to control the tempo at time. Arlington had its moments with shots on Savage. One of the Lady Tigers’ attempts flew over the head of Savage into the back of the net 14 minutes into the game to make the score 1-0. Savage stopped the rest of Arlington’s shot before halftime to keep the score 1-0 at halftime. “First half was awesome,” Burnett said. “The second half, we just fell a apart. Every dog has it’s day and today wasn’t our. But we’ll see them again in Region.” The Lady Tigers play in District 14-3A and are one of the favorites. Munford is one of the best in District 13-3A. The Lady Cougars are eyeing an October rematch after Arlington scored 4 goals in the second half in a 11-minute span. Burnett said he hopes his girls were paying attention to the way Arlington scored its goals. “Finish the ball, finish the ball has been the main thing I’ve been trying to get through these girls the past week,” he said. “Especially in these tough games. We are making opportunities to were we have chances. But we’re just not finishing. “We’re a step away, an inch away,” Burnett added. “We’re so close. It’s not how well you’re playing in the game to whether you win. It’s about goals. We need goals and we need goal scorers. We need to find that goal scorer. We got a few that can score. In these tough games, we’re not finishing when it needs to be done. We’re going to carry it forward into the rest of the season.” Burnett said his players are working on the things that will start to result in points on the scoreboard by September and October. “We’re learning how to possess better,” he said. “Our touches have improved since day one. There’s still room for improvement but that’s a big improvement in the girls is their touches and passes. You could tell that in the first half. “Composure is something we’re still working on,” Bennett continued, “having that touch to finish.” Burnett said finishing in games will secure his team a deep run in October. “I’m not worried,” he said. “The scoreboard says 5-0. If you were here at the game, you probably saw it differently. The second half we fell a part. But for the first half, we showed we can play with teams like this. We can play with an Arlington, a White Station.
“We can hang with them,” Burnett concluded. “ It’s a matter of getting our girls to believe that. I hope by mid-October it will all be ready for us to have wrapped up in a nice present and ready to move forward winning district and Region.”
