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Sikeston overcomes weather to blank Massac County 4-0
SIKESTON -- A gusting wind and pouring rain didn't appear to have much affect on the Sikeston Lady Bulldogs as they hosted Massac County, Ill., Monday afternoon.
After taking a two-goal lead into the break, Sikeston found the net twice in the first eight minutes of the second half to send Massac County, Ken., home with a 4-0 loss.
"I told the girls before the game, 'you've played in cold weather, in rainy weather and in windy weather,'" Lady Bulldogs' head coach Gabe Dement said. "So you expect to understand when the ball is going to skip and to get in front of the ball, not just stick your foot out. Position your body right and play through the conditions and don't make an excuse out of it."
Junior Torrie Helms took less than 45 minutes to complete a hat-trick performance that also included an assist by the end of the contest.
Helms put Sikeston on the board 25 minutes in off a pass from sophomore Larysa McClellon. With only five minutes left before halftime sophomore Kayla Graham fed Helms for her second goal to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 2-0.
Just over two minutes into the second half McClellon found Helms on the right side of the field, allowing Helms to send a bouncing ball on goal the keeper couldn't handle.
The shot gave Sikeston a 3-0 advantage.
"She had a solid game for us and I expect that from her," Dement said of Helms. "It took us a while to score, but she's going to do things like that for us. She's that type of player that can create her own chances."
After assisting Helms on two of her goals, McClellon saw the favor returned eight minutes into the half.
Helms passed to McClellon, who was on the right side of the field. McClellon sent a shot on goal the was blocked, but she kept charging and sent the rebound untouched into the left side of the net to put her team up by the 4-0 final with 32 minutes still to play.
The goal left McClellon with a score and two assists while Helms finished with three goals and an assist.
"She's kind of a dynamic player with lots of speed," Dement said of McClellon's performance. "If she gets the ball out in front of her she's going to beat some people. The difference between this year and last year is when she beats a couple people she's trying to find the open teammate.
"Her passing has gotten a lot better this year and that's why you're seeing the assist numbers for her go up."
Despite the bad conditions the Lady Bulldogs' defense locked down Massac County for their fourth shutout of the season. Sikeston's backfield helped the Lady Bulldogs outshoot Massac County 32-5.
"They did pretty well considering the conditions to hold a shutout," Dement said of the defense. "(Our keeper) Madeline Witt had a few balls skip to her and she caught them clean."
Back over the .500 mark on the season at 5-4, Sikeston will host Harrisburg, Ill., in a varsity only matchup starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.