By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Both head coaches Shari Garrett and Richard Selby left the Munford Soccer Field Sept. 17 with mixed feelings. Selby was proud of the effort from his youthful Munford Lady Cougars. But he realized after falling behind 3-0 in the first half, his players still have growing pains to endure. On the other side, Garrett was happy with the 3-2 for her Brighton Lady Cardinals. But she acknowledged her team still hasn’t played its best. “I’m always glad for my team after a win,” she said. “But I do think we need to step up as a team and play better. It’s always good to be in first place in the district. But I do think we need to play better as a team. This is not the Brighton team I want to see come out on the field. I’m a little disappointed because I see the passes and the potential but they’re just not making the connection.” Garrett said once her team puts it together for a full 80 minutes they can be one of the best teams in the area. “On a positive note, they beat Munford,” she said. “That did not happen last year. I’m so proud of them. I got a chance to put my second string out here and they hung with them. That’s important because we need to make sure we have depth. They’re getting there.” Last year Munford was the class of District 13-3A winning the tournament championship led by six seniors. The Class of 2013 were along side Selby in the birth of the program in 2009. Out of that class two players, Maggie Johnson and Alex Selby, are currently on college soccer rosters. “You’re taking six of the 11 players off the field with those seniors and now you’re subbing in five freshmen,” Coach Selby noted. “You’re trying to build a program off those young players.” After the Brighton game, the Lady Cougars dropped to 4-4-3 on the season. The 2013 roster features two seniors Chrstin Smith and Amie Beaman. There is a combined 11 freshmen and sophomores playing for Munford. “We’re young and the kids are learning,” Selby said. “We’re trying to teach them the right way to play soccer, possess the ball. The kids are trying and getting there.” It was Brighton’s experienced players possessing the ball in the first half giving the Lady Cardinals a 3-0 advantage. Shady Ross made the score 1-0 with the assist coming from Avis Van Kampen. The Lady Cardinals’ lead became 2-0 when Emily Kirt located Courtney Carpenter for a goal. And Brighton’s final goal of the night came courtesy of Ross when she took an assist from Mo Whitefoot. In the second half the Lady Cougars showed some fight keeping pace with Brighton. And Munford received goals from junior Zoey Smith and sophomore Erika Lambert to make the score 3-2. The Lady Cardinals stretched the field and worked the ball around the field down the stretch to hold on to the late lead for the victory. “You got down 3-0 in the first half against Brighton, you could easily lay down,” Selby said. “But we didn’t. They took advantage of their two opportunities. And Brighton is a darn good team. Brighton got a bunch of kids who have been playing. They are stacked and loaded. We have got a chance to see what we need to do to try to get by them.” Garrett said she is happy to be in first place at this point of the season. But knows her team’s best soccer is still ahead of it.
“We just have to click it together,” she concluded. “We have not peaked yet. And I’m so excited to see us when we do. Because I see the team we can be and we’re so close, so close.”
