STARKVILLE — There”s a new trend developing between the Starkville and Tupelo high school boys soccer teams: Shutouts.
The Yellow Jackets, usually on the losing end to their district rival, earned their second straight 1-0 decision against the Golden Wave on Tuesday and carved a favorable path to a long-awaited district crown.
The Jackets (13-0-1, 2-0 Class 6A Division 2) must beat Columbus on Thursday and beat Tupelo (12-4-1) on Saturday or win the series on goal difference to win the district and earn the right to play host to a first-round playoff game.
“The team that always comes out of the North every year is Tupelo, and it feels good that players around me have what it takes to put it away,” Starkville goalkeeper Addison Watson said. “We”re always the underdog and nobody talks about us. Maybe this will change things.”
Watson was under heavy pressure in the second half as Starkville fought to preserve senior forward Alvaro Pichardo”s goal in the fifth minute.
Tupelo”s passing and spacing opened channels through the middle of the field, often leaving Watson to beat striker Jackson Nabors to through balls at the top of the box.
They were battles Watson got the better of Tuesday, clearing one pass with only Nabors to beat in the 41st minute and just three minutes later parrying a close-range shot from nine yards out.
“Sometimes it”s a little bit iffy whether you should come out or stay back, but I just tried to go with my gut on it,” Watson said. “It”s like chess: You got to know what their next move is before they make it. I was just on my toes tonight.”
Tupelo”s resurgent second half came after Starkville controlled possession and threatened to score multiple times in the first 15 minutes.
Starkville captain Price Day tested goalkeeper Ben Shaefer with a deep free kick in the first and had another free kick from 30 yards go over the cross bar in the eighth.
Pichardo and central midfielder Kase Kingery, playing in just his second game of the season, both saw quality looks miss the target in the first half.
It was Pichardo”s opener — a left-footed blast from 19 yards — that gave the Yellow Jackets confidence to press offensively, the senior forward said.
“Scoring that early lifts you up and gets you going,” Pichardo said. “We know we can play with them and score with them. We were expecting a tough game, but we weren”t expecting a goal that early. It definitely got us going.”
Kingery”s return to the lineup came at a perfect juncture as Starkville closes the season with three more games this week before the playoffs begin Jan. 25.
Kingery left the team in the fall for personal reasons but returned last week. The junior showed no rust from the layoff and was responsible for setting up the game”s only goal.
“With a player like Kase, it just makes your job so much easier,” Pichardo said. “I had to play center mid, and as a natural striker I would always push up. It put a lot of pressure on me because I knew I”d have to get back. But having Kase, it makes my job so much easier.”
After the break, Tupelo rebounded from an uncharacteristically shaky half with immediate pressure in Starkville”s end.
Tyler Nabors wasted a 25-yard free kick in the middle of the field and sent the shot well over Watson”s head in the 57th.
Ten minutes later, Jackson Nabors found space on the right edge of the box but saw his fierce shot blocked by defender Garrett Batson, who recovered well and sprawled to stop the shot with his left leg.
“They did a good job defensively getting back,” Tupelo coach Nathan Hall said of Starkville”s defense. “Once we were through they actually had some intensity about them when they got back. Our second guy would get through, but they were back on their horse and defending.”
The Golden Wave”s missed chances throughout the match culminated with two point-blank misfires in the final five minutes.
In the 75th, Luke Mason”s deep throw-in wasn”t properly cleared and sailed across the face of goal for an unmarked Taylor Nabors, who slipped trying to make the easy tap past Watson.
At the death, Taylor Nabors again had a shot at the equalizer but headed a corner kick over the crossbar.
“It was good to see those go past the goal,” Watson said. “Some of those could have easily been goals.”
SHS coach Brian Bennett said his team”s scurry to protect the lead and subsequent lapses in play were caused by the their extended layoff. The Yellow Jackets had played just two games since Dec. 17 prior to Tuesday”s match.
After taking a comfortable seat on the bench while his team cruised through the first half, Bennett paced the sideline and was more demonstrative in the final 20 minutes as his team tried to get the ball forward.
“I turned into a cheerleader instead of a coach there at the end to try and get some energy going and keep everybody”s head up,” Bennett said. “When you get tired, sometimes you just need some more encouragement.
“I think we were taking too many touches in the second. The first half we did better receiving it, looking up and playing it. In the second, we were taking three or four touches and getting two or three guys on us.”
Starkville will play host to Columbus for Senior Night on Thursday before facing Neshoba Central on Friday. Starkville will play the second leg of the Tupelo tie Saturday.
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