BEREA — The Madison Central visit to Madison Southern was a good ole’ good one until the Indians erupted for three goals in the second half to escape with a 4-1 win Thursday.

The Indians (3-3) and the Eagles (1-3-1) were tied 1-1 after a heavily competitive first half. The Indians struck first with a goal in the 26th minute when Steven Willoughby scored.

The Eagles nearly had the equalizing four minutes later when a shot just barely rolled passed the far post. The near goal seemed to Southern life and Alex Sipple sent a scorcher into the back of the net in the 32nd minute.

The back and forth play would end with the first half, though, as the Indians roared back with three unanswered goals in the second half, to cruise to victory.

“We basically lost our composure, lost our shape on the field and had a couple of defensive miscues,” Southern coach Ron Horn said of the second half. “Otherwise, they’re a good team with a good coach. Even on our best day we would have to play really well and can’t those kind of mistakes.”

Taylor Deaton scored to start things in the second half. Micah hall scored the final two goals for the Indians with assists from Willoughby.

“I was very happy with the second half, we came out with a lot more intensity and it paid off,” Central coach Brock Sutherland said.

The Indians return home Tuesday when they host Somerset (5-3) at 5:30 p.m. The Eagles look to bounce back with a double-header Saturday. Southern takes on Taylor County (1-4-1) at 3 p.m. and Whitley County (1-2-1) at 7 p.m.



Central girls outlast Southern

The Madison Central girls soccer team got an early goal off the foot Marissa Stewart, and made it count, holding on for a 1-0 victory at Madison Southern Thursday.

The Lady Indians (4-1-1) were able to make the early lead stand throughout the second half by pressuring the Southern (3-4-1) defense while also smothering counter attacks.

It looked like a game that could have been high-scoring early. Southern put the Central defense on its heels and made Central keeper Kate Field work, but never could find the equalizer.

“I think we had some missed opportunities, but overall I was not disappointed with our play,” Southern coach Katy Cress said.

“Overall, we haven’t been doing that in the past. We’ve had some 10-minute letdowns here or there. I think we really played hard the whole game.”

In the second half, the opportunities were fewer for the Lady Eagles, as they were forced to defend pressure from the Indians. The chances Southern did create were stifled by the Central defense.

“I think they calmed down a little bit,” Central coach Chris Dunham said. “They started working the ball to each other’s feet. Once we stepped back a little bit, got our defense settled, they started winning the ball and getting the attack back on our half.”

The tables turned from one half to the next, as the second saw the Lady Indians the aggressor and the Lady Eagles relying on a strong defense to keep the game at a one-goal deficit.

“Our defense was playing well and working well together,” Cress said. “They’re recovering better than they had in the last few games.”

The shutout was the fourth straight for Field, who hasn’t allowed a goal since an Aug. 18 win over Sayre.

“Hopefully, our defense can continue that,” Dunham said. “Our back four has been playing awesome recently. They’re very calm, very experienced and they’re looking really good — looking sharp right now.”

The Lady Indians ride their three-game winning streak into a visit at Montgomery County (1-2-2) Monday. Southern returns to action Tuesday when they host Pulaski County (6-1) at 8 p.m.