Hamra sinks penalty kick to beat Fredericktown

FREDERICKTOWN -- Thanks to a clutch shot from freshman Grace Hamra, the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs picked up their second win in as many days with a 1-0 decision over host Fredericktown on Tuesday.

"We had tons of chances to score goals in the second half, but didn't finish one until the very end when we got a penalty kick," Sikeston head coach Gabe Dement said. "I picked Grace to take it because I knew she would put in the corner. Sure enough, she did."

The shot was easily the biggest and most tense in the freshman's young high school career. It came with no time left in regulation and a miss would mean extending the game to sudden death overtime.

That wouldn't be necessary, however, as Hamra cemented a play set up when sophomore Claudea Kuykendall was fouled in the box as time expired.

"Claudia Kuykendall was taking the ball toward the right side of the box," Dement said. "She was kind of in the corner of the box and got tangled up with a girl. The foul was called and Grace had the direct penalty from the spot, just her and the goalie. Calm and collected she put it in the corner. She's a freshman, but she stepped up big for us."

The win moved Sikeston to the .500 mark on the season at 4-4. They'll get a chance to make it three wins in four days when they host Saxony Lutheran Thursday with junior varsity action starting at 5 p.m. and varsity directly after.

"Fredericktown is usually a tough place to play," Dement said. "It's a field we're not used to and kind of a long, curvy drive to get there in the first place. Just to get a win out of there was great. A two game-winning streak is definitely positive, but we have a big one Thursday against Saxony Lutheran and they're a very tough team."

In junior varsity action, the Lady Bulldogs made it a sweep by blanking Fredericktown 2-0. Carrisa Below had a goal in the contest.