Cape Central soccer wins third straight match

The Cape Central girl's soccer team took advantage of a height advantage and stuck with an all-around aggressive game plan on Wednesday as the Tigers got a go-ahead header goal from Madison Phelps late in the second half to propel the home team to a 2-1 victory at Cape Central High School.

After a scoreless first half by both teams, the Knights captured the lead off of a penalty kick that eeked by goalkeeper Demi Drum with 29:52 remaining in the second half.

The Tigers increased the pressure on both offense and defense, playing more physically and it finally paid off at the 25:45 mark when sophomore Tayshun Jennings scored on a Farmington turnover in the Knight's end of the field as a quick shot found the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.

The two teams remained tied until the 6:37 mark of the contest when a corner kick from the right side of the field was placed perfectly in front of the Farmington goal and Madison Phelps jumped high and headed the ball into the net to give Cape Central the lead for good.

“Madison (Phelps) timed her jump perfectly, “Cape Central coach Duncan McKinley said. “ That’s her second one of the season. She’s someone we always try to get in the box during those types of situations because she’s aggressive and athletic and she can get a head on the ball.”

The win gives the Tigers their third win in a row with shutout victories over Kelly and Sikeston and gives Cape Central momentum going into next week’s trifecta against Fredericktown, Poplar Bluff, and North County.

“We’ve been winning our individual battles and winning 50/50 balls better,” McKinley said about the team’s latest success. “I feel being more aggressive has given us more chances to create more chances and we have definitely been focusing on I think has led to our success in the last two weeks.”

With the win, the Tigers improve their season record to 3-5 and will face Fredericktown Monday on the road at 5 p.m.