FC SOCCER TEAMS ARE DISTRICT CHAMPIONS

Your FC Soccer teams are the 2016-2017 District Champions after sweeping Loyd Star in Region 7/3A action.   Junior midfielder, Kenzie Whitehead got her 2nd straight 'district game-winning goal' off a corner kick in a 1-0 victory at Loyd Star. The win locked up 1st place and the Lady Dawgs will host Madison St. Joseph Tuesday night at 5:30 in the 1st round of the MHSAA playoffs.   Loyd Star had an opportunity to take an early lead after a foul in the box awarded LS a penalty kick. Freshman GK Malaine Moak blocked the kick, as she dove to her left , coming up with the huge save.  Moments later, Whitehead connected on the game winner. Defensively, Jamie Dawn Walker ,once again, proved her defensive skills, as she held a talented Morgan Brister scoreless. Along with the  help of Elise Mullins, Promise Warren, Tori Jones, Tayler Smith, and Chyenne Higgs, the Lady Dawgs had yet another shutout and have only given up 1 district goal. Offensively , the Lady Dawgs controlled most of the game and applied the pressure toward the LS goal. Whitehead, Jaden Long, Leelee Elam,  Jenna Long, and Katie Bell Higgs had outstanding effort.  "I am very proud of this group of young ladies. They have worked extremely hard and accomplished their goal of bringing the district title back home. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into the playoffs."   The Dawgs won their 5th straight District Title after defeating Loyd Star 3-0.  Senior Thomas Slagle scored twice, the first coming from a rocket of a shot from 25 yards assisted by Sophomore, Joshua Guice. The second was a solid header off a corner from Sophomore Braden Whitehead, who would later connect with a beautiful left footed shot to the upper right corner from nearly 30 yards for the third goal. Defensively, Sophomore GK Garret Smith and Freshman GK Colby Guice combined in goal for the shutout getting 4 saves each. Defenders Brant Mullins, Bronson Smith, Spencer Romero, Zach Nugent, Trey Tindle, and Matthew Dier helped the Dawgs to another shutout. The Dawgs will host Madison St. Joseph Tuesday night at 7 pm in the MHSAA State Playoffs.    Last Saturday, the Dawgs had an incredible upset win over 4A power Richland who is loaded with soccer talent. Zane Davis scored both goals on headers off corners from Whitehead and Nugent. The boys played thier hearts out defensively to hold on for the 2-1 win. Richland has beaten the likes of Germantown, Florence and Madison St. Joseph.  Huge Wins For FC Soccer ; Remain on Top of Region 6 Lady Dawgs 2  Wesson 1 Two 8th graders stepped up big time for the Lady Dawgs helping the Lady Dawgs remain undefeated in district play. Katie Bell Higgs and Jenna Long came off the bench midway through the 1st half and had an immediate impact. Following a clear from Elise Mullins, Higgs dribbled from the defensive end connecting a pass with Long who sent a perfectly placed through ball to her sister Jaden Long who got behind the Wesson defense and scored for a 1-0 lead. Wesson's Kim San tied things up shortly after but FC responded when Kenzie Whitehead hit a solid corner kick that found the net, giving her a team leading 12 goals on the season. That would be the game winner, as both teams went scoreless in the second half. Goalkeeper, Malaine Moak had several key saves while the FC defense stepped up defensively for the 2nd half. Mullins,Jamie Dawn Walker, Noel Parker, Tori Jones, Promise Warren, and Chyenne Higgs kept the Wesson shots very limited for the last 40 minutes.  "We didn't have our best performance, but the girls played with a lot of heart and found a way to win. Wesson has a very good player in Kim San but our girls fought hard and held on for the win. I cant say enough about how hard our defense works and keeps us in games. They deserve a lot of credit and Melaine has been a blessing for us in the goal." said Coach Jeff Long. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Lady Dawgs and they can solidify the district title next week at Loyd Star. The Lady Dawgs record stands at 13-3-1. Dawgs 6    Wesson 1  Seniors Zane Davis, Thomas Slagle, and Nate Verdin had a night to remember leading the 'Soccer Dawgs' to another district win and putting themselves in a great position to win another district championship. Davis had his 2nd 'hat trick' of the season scoring 3 times, each coming in spectacular fashion. His first two goals came from perfectly placed corner kicks from sophomore Braden Whitehead where Davis headed them in with authority.  Whitehead had 3 assists. Davis's 3rd goal came late in the game after receiving a through ball from Slagle, he 'lofted' the ball perfectlly over the charging goalkeeper and into to the net, giving him 25 goals on the season. Nate Verdin had a beautiful goal at the 15th minute of play when he connected on a hard shot from 20 yards out. Verdin scored again off an assist from Whitehead at the 70th minute.  Slagle pounded a shot to the upper left corner at the  62nd minute. The Dawgs record now stands at 13-3-1.