By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The Millington Lady Trojan Soccer coaching staff of William Carter and Rosemary Boswell didn’t have to make any travel plans this season for the District 15-2A Tournament.
For the first time in school history, the Lady Trojans are the district champions. Winning a three-way tiebreaker over the rival Covington Lady Chargers and Fayette-Ware Lady Wildcats, Millington would host the 2020 tournament at Hornets Field the week of Sept. 29.
“It was awesome,” Boswell said earning the historic title. “It was my first experience with that, Coach Carter’s first experience with that. It just so happens we get to land it here and that’s what we needed. We need that home field advantage.
“Home field advantage for one and to know our girls earned this are meaningful,” she added. “I’ve got a good group of juniors and seniors who have here and it’s time for them.”
Tuesday night against the Haywood Lady Tomcats in the District 15-2A Semifinal round was time for the Lady Trojans to dominate winning 9-1. The Lady Trojans had a slow start adjusting to defensive changes from Haywood only scoring 3 goals in the first 40 minutes.
Then Millington exploded for 6 goals in the second half with the last three coming courtesy of junior Micaiah Halliburton.
Haywood moved some players around to have more speed on the defensive back line to try to neutralize Lady Trojans Alexis Jordan, Rilee Ervin and Koreena Bedford.
Millington players like Angelica Alaniz, Christina Cook and Alexis Thompson worked the midfield area to give their strikers time to wear down the Haywood defenders.
The Lady Trojans breakthrough came 16 minutes into the game when the ball was inside the goalie box and Ervin got a foot on the ball for the first goal.
Leading 1-0, Millington started to get lackadaisical when Carter shouted from the sideline to Bedford to “Stop walking and run!” The junior athlete immediately gained control of the ball and blazed down the field 60 yards to a breakaway goal to make the score 2-0 at the 31-minute mark.
Then Jordan got into the scoring act 6 minutes later airing a goal into the net to make the tally 3-0 at halftime.
Needing to seize control of the game, Millington came out the break with intensity receiving goals from Thompson, Lizzy Vasquez and Christian Cook to make the score 6-0.
After the Lady Tomcats scored on a breakaway, Halliburton moved from her defensive spot onto the offensive frontline. Her old position from her freshmen and sophomore years, Halliburton quickly got reacquainted with being a striker.
The junior score three consecutive goals to make the final score 9-1. The Lady Trojans advance to the Thursday afternoon championship game against the Fayette-Ware Lady Wildcats.
“No long drive,” Boswell noted. “It’s always a bad taste thinking about last year.”
Last season the same two teams matched up at Fayette-Ware with the Lady Wildcats using a big second half to win the district title.
“We’ve got to play as a good group and our defense has to be locked in,” Boswell said. “My scorers have to be locked in and we have to be playing as a unit. They’re coming for blood.
“Mind prep, prepping their bodies, food, water and getting mentally game ready,” she concluded. “It’s going to be a game on Thursday at 4:30.”
