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Chaney, Lady Bulldogs pull off rally to defeat Harrisburg 3-1
SIKESTON -- For the first time in quite a few games the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs found themselves trailing early Wednesday against Harrisburg, Ill.
Kicking off a rally in the final minutes of the first half, however, the Lady Bulldogs went on to score three unanswered goals while holding off Harrisburg for a 3-1 win.
"They got that early goal on us and were able to play a lot more loose and come at us," Sikeston head coach Doyle Noe said. "Our focus wasn't necessarily there and it took us a little while to pick it up, but a big goal right before the half was huge for momentum. That took a little bit out them.
"If Harrisburg could have got to half up a goal they could have maybe packed it in a little on defense. But great effort from the girls to battle back and that's good to see how you're team is going to respond to an early deficit like that."
Besides competing against Harrisburg, the Lady Bulldogs (6-4-1) were also forced to fight a fierce wind in the first half, giving their opponents an extra edge.
This advantage paid off for Harrisburg (6-6) just six minutes into the game when Taylor McDaniel put her team ahead 1-0.
McDaniel's goal kept her team on top for the better part of the first half as Sikeston was limited on offensive opportunities. It was just seven minutes before the break that Chaney got Sikeston's offense rolling.
After battling a defender near the corner Chaney sent a pass to a teammate before quickly taking back control of the ball. She sent a kick near the endline on the left side of the net that just ducked under the crossbar for the game-tying score.
"I was honestly not even shooting," Chaney said. "I was going for a cross, but with the wind against me it kind of carried my ball right in."
With the wind at their back in the second half Sikeston continued to attack, but it wasn't until the 66th minute of the match that they took the lead.
Hustling for the ball down the left side of the field, Chaney was fouled, putting freshman Torrie Helmes in position for a free penalty kick from the center box.
Helmes buried her shot in the net for what became the game-winning goal.
"That was a great shot by Torrie," Noe said. "Not many penalty kicks do you expect to put off the post and in. I doubt she was aiming there, but she picked a side and drove the ball and kept it low.
"It went in so it was a good job for her to step up."
Only seven minutes remained in the contest when Chaney gave Sikeston the insurance goal it desperately wanted on an exciting play where she outworked the Harrisburg defense.
Sprinting in on goal, Chaney beat a trio of defenders for a ball that she then shot into the top crossbar before getting her own ricochet and heading it back in the goal. Her second attempt once again found the crossbar before Chaney sent the ball into the back of the net on another header.
"I was trying to shoot bottom left corner, but it came out as kind of high and then I never give up on a shot," Chaney said. "You follow it through and good things happen when you follow through with your shot."
On Chaney's impressive effort where she got three straight attempts off of, Noe added, "That's her to a 'T'. Just effort and she doesn't stop."
Harrisburg spent the next four minutes trying to get back in the game, but a serious injury to a Sikeston defender put a halt to play with 2:43 left on the clock. The two squads decided to call the game, giving Sikeston the 3-1 win.
"We played decent, but we can do better," Helmes said of the win. "We didn't play as well as we usually do."
Sikeston will take part in the Fralish Cup in Carbondale, Ill., starting on Friday.