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Haylee Shultz (9) moves the ball down the pitch during the Lady Wildcats' Area playoff game against Palestine Thursday. Shultz scored two goals in the Lady Wildcats' 5-2 victory. Photo by DJ Spencer
Shultz, Williams score two goals each
LINDALE — The Sulphur Springs Lady Wildcats continued their stellar play this season with a 5-2 Area round playoff win over the Palestine Lady Wildcats at Lindale’s Eagle Stadium Thursday. After giving up a goal early on, Sulphur Springs would elevate their game to another level, running away with the victory.
The first half started out slow, with both teams trying to find their rhythm. Then, just over three minutes into the game, Palestine got on the board first with a goal with 36:41 remaining in the half, taking a 1-0 lead.
This would be followed by a long period of no scoring. Then, with 18:17 left in the half, Sulphur Springs tied the score when Haylee Shultz scored a goal, knotting the score up at 1-1.
Less than two minutes later, Sulphur Springs took the lead when Anna Williams scored a goal with 16:30 left to play, giving them a 2-1 lead. It only took three minutes from there for Sulphur Springs to score again, when Williams scored her second goal of the game with 13:14 left, extending their lead to 3-1. That score held up to the end of the half, as Sulphur Springs carried a 3-1 lead into halftime.
The second half would be quiet early on. That changed with 26:46 remaining when Rowan Faircloth scored a goal, extending Sulphur Springs’ lead to 4-1.
Later on, Palestine scored a goal with 13:59 left, trimming the score to 4-2. Sulphur Springs would put the icing on the cake with 6:02 remaining when Shultz scored her second goal of the game, bringing the score to 5-2. That score would hold up to the end, as Sulphur Springs finished off a 5-2 win.
Shultz and Williams scored two goals each, and Faircloth added one goal.
With the win, the Lady Wildcats earned an Area championship and improved to 23-3 on the season. They resumed action Tuesday, taking on the Bullard Lady Panthers in the Regional Quarterfinal round of the playoffs at Lindale’s Eagle Stadium.