Veterans girls soccer rolls past Mary Persons

KATHLEEN -- Veterans continued its seemingly annual run of unbeaten games in GHSA Region 2-AAAA on Thursday, as the Warhawks cruised to a 5-1 girls soccer victory over Mary Persons.

Veterans (8-1, 7-0) took a 1-0 lead less than five minutes in on a goal by right winger Maranda Krirat and never looked back. The freshman was very composed on the break as she slipped in behind the Bulldogs' defense on a pass from Sage Samelli.

The Warhawks continued to pepper the Mary Persons net throughout the remainder of the first half, scoring three more times in the span of eight minutes to take a commanding 4-0 lead to the break.

Mary Persons (6-3-2, 5-3) found more time on the ball after changing formations at the half but was never dangerous enough going forward to present any threat to the Veterans lead.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Danielle Coumbs: The freshman midfielder for Veterans scored once and was arguably the most skilled player on the pitch. Her pace and fitness also stood out as she controlled the game and created numerous attacking situations.

Samelli: The other half of an excellent midfield combination for the Warhawks assisted on the game's opening two goals. Just a sophomore, the late transfer from South Dakota adds a lot of quality to the Veterans lineup.

Mahalia Laguines: The senior in the back adds a lot of toughness that Veterans sorely misses due graduation losses from last year's team. She covered up several mistakes by teammates to stifle Mary Persons' opportunities.

WORTH MENTIONING

They might be young, but Veterans is still a threat: Eighteen of the 23 players on Veterans roster are either freshmen or sophomores, including eight of the starting 11. All four goal scorers for the Warhawks on Thursday night were underclassmen, as well as their two goalkeepers.

Coaching return: This was the first game back for Veterans head coach Haley Walker, who had missed the start of the season due to maternity leave.

THEY SAID IT

Walker on returning after leave: "I'm just trying to get organized figuring out who goes where and really figuring out my team, to be honest."

Walker on young and talented midfield: "I love our midfield, it's solid. We graduated some really key players, but we have some key additions with the transfer of Sage (Samelli) and Coumbs. I just love her feet."

Walker on coaching a young squad: "I like a young team. They're very coachable, and they're very easy go with the flow. That's something that I've liked."

ALSO THURSDAY NIGHT

The boys contest between Veterans and Mary Persons was halted just 20 seconds into the game due to lightning.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Veterans visits Howard on April 7, while Mary Persons hosts Pike County in non-region action Tuesday.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 9:58 PM with the headline "Veterans girls soccer rolls past Mary Persons ."