Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ Soccer Secures Key 3-1 Victory Over Mattoon, Eyes Conference Title
By Fred Kroner
Five players had either a goal or an assist on Tuesday (April 30) as the Mahomet-Seymour girls’ soccer team secured a 3-1 Apollo Conference win at home over Mattoon (13-5-1).
M-S led, 2-0, at halftime against an opponent it had battled to a 0-0 draw against earlier in the season.
Jaycee Fancher, Erika Johnson and Ella Walk all tallied goals. Fancher, Izzy Lietz and Paislee Welge all had an assist.
“Mahomet had another strong opening 40 minutes,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said. “Mahomet fielded more of an orthodox back line as Holland Martin came back after a six-week injury stint.
“Her and Paislee Welge looked fantastic in the back together, both regularly winning first balls in the air and neutering the Green Wave’s ability to cause chaos in the box by slinging balls in from wide areas. Welge had one of her finest performances of the season.”
Davis also had praise for the midfield crew of Nadia Biegler, Hannah Creel, Lietz and Ava Watkins.
“The midfield was able to consistently find zones with numerical advantages for the Bulldogs,” Davis said. “They had their best game of the year, moving the ball on the ground linking up our backs to the strikers.
“Biegler continues to do a great job being the senior field leader and helping the younger squad stay organized.”
As the postseason nears, M-S is starting to get its full roster together.
“On another positive note, the Bulldogs had their first practice of the season (Monday) where all 19 varsity girls were on the training pitch at the same time,” Davis said. “Two months into the season, hopefully the Bulldogs’ health times the postseason perfectly in returning to full strength.
“They will need it next week as they play some state tournament quality teams in Normal Community and Morton to close out the regular season.”
The M-S junior varsity squad stayed unbeaten with a win over Mattoon.
The Bulldogs (4-0-1) try to capture an undisputed conference championship on Friday (May 3) at Charleston. M-S is 8-3-3 overall.
