In a game that holds a lot of weight in the conference standings, Hope would snatch an early lead on Madelyne Maclaughlin's first of two goals, as she would find the back of the net off of a beautiful pass from Miracle Martinez. With the Lady Cats clinging to a 1-0 lead, Miracle gave Madelyne another great pass, and Maclaughlin scored her second goal of the night to give Hope a 2-0 lead.
Miracle Martinez would score a goal of her own late in the first half, as Audrey Mercado made a great pass to set up the goal for Martinez. The Lady Cats would take a 3-0 lead into the break.
The defense of the Lady Cats did a great job in the opening half. Mena would score 2 goals in the second half to bring the score to 3-2, but that is as close as they would get as Hope would claim a huge conference win and improve in the standings.
The defense of Esme Leon, Brency Cabriales, Yudit Dominguez, Reyna Martinez, Cristal Aguilar, Angelina Soto, and Keidy Azanza was great. GK Angelica Soto continues to make plays for her team and is proving to be one of the top goal-keepers in the conference. Along with Maclaughlin and Miracle Martinez, Audrey Mercado, Brianna Maclaughlin, Paola Dominguez, and Crystal Ortiz continue to move the ball well, as they found ways to produce three goals and continue to put themselves in position to get more good looks at the net. Madelyne Maclaughlin finished the night with 2 goals, Miracle Martinez had 1 goal and 2 assists, and Audrey Mercado had an assist.
The Lady Cats are back in action on Friday, as they travel to face Bauxite. the top team in the conference.
TEAMS W-L-T PTS
1. BAUXITE 5-0-2 17
2. NASHVILLE 5-2-0 15
3. DEQUEEN 4-2-1 13
4. HOPE 3-2-2 11
5. MENA 2-4-2 8
6. ARKADELPHIA 1-3-3 6
7. MALVERN 1-5-1 4
8. MORRILTON 0-3-3 2
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JARED SALAZAR
