(Story by Coach Lance Harvey)

     The Chillicothe Lady Hornets soccer team opened up their season Friday evening against the Kirksville Lady Tigers, falling by a score of 6-0. First game jitters were apparent as the Hornets gave up an early goal two minutes in against an already seasoned Kirksville team who were playing their sixth game of the season. Chillicothe regrouped quickly however, putting together several good possessions during the next 10 minutes. The Hornets generated some solid scoring opportunities but were unable to capitalize. Kirksville scored twice more in transition and added a late first half goal to make the score 4-0 at halftime.
     In the second half Chillicothe seemed to have acclimated to the rain soaked field conditions and starting playing more confidently on defense and in the midfield. Unfortunately, the Lady Hornets were still unable to net a goal and Kirksville added two more to set the final score.
     Coach Lance Harvey stated that the lack of field time due to the inclement weather conditions in the days before the game definitely affected the team’s spacing and touch on the ball. Coach Harvey noted several bright spots including solid play of senior Kylie Barton in midfield and the attacking play of forwards Sarah Hussey, Cyrsten Lollar and Lindy Saunders. The goalkeeping duties were split by newcomers Brooke Jettleson and Hallee Jones who played admirably in spite of their lack of varsity experience.
     Harvey stated, “This team has great senior leadership and a lot of potential to get better as the year progresses. We are going to take some lumps early with such a tough schedule but our ultimate goal is to win a district championship at the end of the season. Our girls have bought into that idea and are willing to put in the work to get better each day.”