Valley girls, boys fall on the road to Smiths Station

BY DANIEL SCHMIDT

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

VALLEY — After five-straight home games, the Valley High School (5A) girls and boys soccer teams travelled for the first time in over a month to Smiths Station High School (7A), intending to spoil the hosts’ senior night on April 6.

Instead, the Lady Rams (2-8) fell to the Lady Panthers (13-6-1) in a 15-0 loss that game officials called at halftime, and the Rams (4-7-1) were unable to overcome several brilliant individual efforts from the Panthers (13-6-1) to lose 5-2.

Girls’ game

The Lady Panthers got off to a rip-roaring start to senior night and never looked back, with SSHS’s three seniors all getting on the stat sheet.

Captain and star forward Haley Ciccarello led the charge with three goals and four assists, and Marlee Cook and Haleigh Jones added two goals and a goal and an assist, respectively.

Several underclassmen also shone for the Lady Panthers, with freshman Reagan Thomas notching two goals and two assists.

Sophomore Reagan Riles contributed two goals — including a highlight reel header — and an assist, and classmates Montana Phillip and Sophie Fowler both added a goal apiece.

Boys’ game

Despite a lightning-quick start for the Panthers, the boys’ game proved much more competitive.

Cameron Wood and Owen Jamieson combined to give the Panthers a 2-1 halftime lead, with what appeared to be a set-piece goal from Rams defender Jacob Martinez sandwiched in between. 

Wood added his second goal mere minutes in the second half with a slaloming run through the Rams’ defense before freshman forward Jose Diaz responded for VHS by placing a beautiful right-footed, curled shot into the far top right corner with around 23 minutes left to play.

However, SSHS’s Haagan Philip thumped in a goal less than three minutes later, and Jacob Junghans finished the game off with just over three minutes left with a toed finish during a frantic scramble following a failed corner.