Steers, Lady Blues sweep Sweetwater at home

Friday was a big night for Graham High School soccer. The Lady Blues and Steers hosted Sweetwater. The Lady Blues opened the doubleheader with a 3-0 win, their first of the season. The goals came in bunches for the Steers who earned their first win of the season with a 7-0 win.

Lady Blues 3, Sweetwater 0

The Lady Blues opened the game not playing to their potential. With several chances to dominate possession of the ball, there were multiple turnovers with bad passes and rushing up the field. Defensively, the Lady Blues held Sweetwater to one shot, a penalty kick in the second half.

It was in the second half when the Lady Blues ran away with the match. With three minutes played in the second half, Alexis Renfro scored the first of two goals. With an assist from Braylee Mayes, the Lady Blues held their first home lead of the season. Five minutes later, the lead was increased by Melany Simental. Renfro, with an assist from Kate Carrillo, scored her second goal with 13 minutes left in the game.

“The first half we watched a ping-pong match. We were rushing and not keeping possession of the ball very well,” Lady Blues coach Misty Mills said. “At halftime, I spoke to the girls about playing our game no matter who the opponent is. Our goal is to play possession soccer. We adjusted our formation and they came out and played a much improved second half. This group of girls is very coachable, which has allowed us to tweak our formation during games when it has been needed.”

For the rest of the story, see the Jan. 19 edition of The Graham Leader.