By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Since the turn of the millennium there have been a few notable Millington Lady Trojan Soccer players.
Sam Medina, Ashley Benbow, Miciah Halliburton and Koreena Bedford have set records and led the Lady Trojans to championships. Thursday night the latest chapter in the growing history of Millington Soccer was being written on the field turf of Mooney Boswell Field.
The Ripley Lady Tigers arrived to Flag City for the 2022 District 15-3A Semifinal contest with the No. 1 seeded Lady Trojans. Millington was victorious at Ripley 9-0 during the regular season.
In front of their hometown fans, the Lady Trojans repeated the feat and eliminated Ripley 9-0 to advance to the district championship game vs. Covington set for the following night.
“This one the biggest problem coming in was trying to convince my girls we weren’t just going to be handed over the win,” Millington Head Coach Jerrett Everson said. “We know we beat Ripley during the regular season and were likely to win tonight again. But in those types of games you come in knowing you beat that team. And that’s when they catch you off guard.”
Millington freshman standout Alexis Williamson made it evidently clear within 30 seconds the Lady Trojans were focused on the task. Williamson exploded along the far side of the Lady Tiger defense for a goal making the score 1-0 seconds into the game.
“I talked to her earlier today and told her, ‘I know all the great Lady Trojans who came through, Katelyn Dagen and Katlyn Dupree,” Everson said. “Your name could be up there with them. If you want up there it’s time for you to start writing that legacy today.’ She did that with four goals on the night. She did a good job.”
Before halftime Williamson achieved a hat trick with three goals. Before Williamson tallied her second score of the night, her senior teammate Julizeth Cuevas connected on a goal at the 13-minute mark.
The Millington advantage grew to 3-0 when a corner kick started a chain reaction of passes leading to the foot of Lady Trojan Kynzie Gordon. Gordon blasted a shot from nearly 30 yards out for the score.
Then the freshman athlete Williamson used her speed, long strides and aim to score back-to-back goals within 9 minutes to make the score 5-0.
Then an unlikely score scored Millington’s sixth goal. Senior Alexis “Lexi” Thompson plays midfield and controls the tempo in the middle of all the action. Late in the first half, Thompson was near the goal on a corner kick. The goal floating in the air eventually landed and Thompson darted an attempt at the net that flew past the Ripley goalie for the score.
The halftime score was 7-0 courtesy of Rilee Ervin. The junior evaded a Lady Tiger defender, created space and made the goal.
At halftime the Lady Trojan program saluted the Class of 2023 seniors Kalia Duckworth, Alexis Thompson, Margaret Welch, Julizeth Cuevas, Elizabeth Bolin, Elizabeth Vazquez, Angela Calva, Brooklyn Gordon and Kourtney Tinkey.
Within minutes of the second half, Millington scored the two goals needed to activate the mercy rule. Williamson tallied her fourth goal and Cuevas chipped in goal No. 9 for the win.
Next up was less than 24 hours to prepare for the championship game to take on the Covington Lady Chargers. Last year the two teams played two thrillers. And the only match in 2022 was a 2-1 win by the Lady Trojans.
“I want them to come in here thinking with the mindset of not just looking at the district championship as this is where it ends. I want them to look at it as if we’re going to make it to Sub-State, the district championship is what we need. Next Region championship, that’s what we have to do. Then Sub-State, that’s where we are trying to be at. I want them to walk in here tomorrow saying, ‘We have to come in here and take care of business because we’ve got other things to take care of. Our season does not end here.’ We can have to be looking at a couple of weeks from now with a game we have to take care of.
