Warhill free kicks wrest momentum from Lady Trojans

New Kent's Megan Evans (3) clears the ball out of Lady Trojan territory past Warhill's Julia Showver.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Due to the annual Senior Night and the looming playoffs, New Kent’s Lady Trojans desired to win even more than usual, but they could not hold off Warhill’s visiting Lady Lions, falling 5-0 in soccer Thursday night.

Largely a stalemate in the beginning, neither side clearly took control of the game, as a great defensive stop near the 18-minute mark by Lady Trojan Taylor James stopped a long drive for Warhill.

Soon after, a Warhill defender knocked down Zoe Wallace, setting up a direct kick just outside of the box for New Kent. Junior Caitlin McCaughan took the shot and narrowly missed wide.

“They started out real well, started out playing hard,” said New Kent coach Cathy Anderson. “They got real tired and got worn out.”

Not long after the attempted direct free kick, penalties halted the Lady Trojans’ momentum, setting up two successful direct free kicks for the Lady Lions.

“They got discouraged because [Warhill] got a couple of goals,” Anderson commented regarding her team’s play, adding, “That frustrated them.”

Merely three minutes into the second half, Warhill struck again with a long shot over goaltender Amanda Woods’ head.

But New Kent nearly answered back with a direct free kick by senior Taylor James, almost setting up a header by Rachel Byers.

“Toward the end they picked it back up and started playing hard again,” said Anderson.

Despite the Lady Trojans’ effort, the Lady Lions scored two more goals in the second half, with one off of a penalty kick. Wood saved a total of 7 shots off of Warhill’s 17 shots on goal.

The 9-6 Lady Trojans look to rebound in the upcoming conference tournament.