Panthers fall short

Hibriten soccer coach Shea Bridges had his sights set high for the second half of the conference schedule. Really high.

“This is a new season for us,” he said. “Our goal is to go 9-0.”

One game into that new season, Bridges and the Panthers will have to settle for 8-1. One untimely injury and two “lollipop goals” spelled demise for Hibriten Tuesday in Lenoir. The Panthers fell 2-1 to Fred T. Foard.

“This team is ready and focused, so it's a tough pill to swallow when you drop one this way, when you pretty much dominate most of the match and just drop two goals,” Bridges said. “We're not blaming it on anyone but ourselves. We have to pick up our intensity and we have to play 80 minutes.”

For much of the game, it looked like Hibriten would avenge its 3-0 loss to Foard earlier in the season. Panther Kayla Stamey scored less than 10 minutes into the game on a beautiful cross from Hallie Hilliard. Stamey redirected the ball mid-flight, heading it into the open net to give Hibriten the early lead.

“We've been working on some set pieces,” Bridges said. “Seventy percent of goals are scored on set pieces, and that was an example. It was a nice service and a nice finish. I couldn't have done it any better myself.”

Things changed in the second half, however, when Foard took control and possessed the ball for much of the final 40 minutes. The Tigers tied the game on Kayla Sutton's goal from outside the 18-yard box, a looping shot just past the outstretched arms of Hibriten keeper Tessa Hart.

Almost 30 minutes later with the score still tied, Sutton scored once again in nearly identical fashion.

“She just placed it,” Foard coach Stan Elliot said. “Instead of trying to rip the shot, she just placed it perfectly. She came up big tonight.”

Foard's goals coincided roughly with the disappearance of Hibriten midfielder Holli Schwartz, who was forced to leave the game with a sprained knee. She was able to walk of the field under her own power, but missed the entire second half of play.

“After that, we had to make some adjustments,” Bridges said. “The girls were able to adjust well, but that is one of our leaders out for the whole second half.”

Bridges said the team would approach the injury on a game-by-game basis, and hoped it was no worse than a sprain.

Hibriten (5-5 in the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference) faces Shelby on Thursday, Patton Friday.

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