Second-half rally, Helms brace sees Sikeston girls soccer past Cape Central

Torrie Helms made it much easier for the Sikeston girls soccer team to forget about a grim first half and move ahead.

The senior forward provided two second-half goals as the Bulldogs rallied past Cape Girardeau Central 2-1 in regular-season SEMO Conference action Tuesday at Central High School.

Sikeston coach Gabe Dement said his team has developed a tendency to hit its stride in the second half.

Sikeston's Claudea Kuykendall controls the ball against Central's Megan Smith during the second half Monday, May 10, 2016 at Cape Girardeau Central High School.Fred Lynch

"I wasn't happy with our aggression in the first half. Everything else was OK, but our aggression wasn't," Dement said. "Winning that first ball dictates a lot in soccer -- we did that better in the second half. We put some shots on frame and were fortunate enough to see them go in, but at this stage of the season, you don't have to win pretty. You win any way you can."

The Tigers missed an early opportunity in the second minute when freshman Mattie Huff controlled a turnover along the right touchline and sent a pass several yards in front of the right post to senior Megan Westcott, whose shot barely misfired wide.

Freshman Emily Webb almost put Central ahead in the 11th minute, but her shot attempt from 5 yards out ricocheted off the left post before being cleared wide by a defender.

"We were just a little unlucky on that one, missed it on the near post," Central coach Dan Martin said about Webb's miss. "We had a lot of chances in the first half. I thought we were pretty solid from the back to the middle to the top in the first half."

The early pressure resulted in a 1-0 lead for Central in the 23rd minute when junior Calli House lifted a blooper from 17 yards out -- a ball that sailed just out of the reach of Sikeston goalie Kayla Graham and fell underneath the middle part of the crossbar into the net.

"Calli's really smart on that, to kind of get her head up and play where the keeper wasn't," Martin said. "In my opinion, it was good composure to bring it down and place that shot. It was good to see, and it was good to have her back on the scoresheet."

Senior Megan Smith and junior Tiana Bowman, a pair of defenders for Central, snuffed out Helms' only chances on several breakaways in the first half. Helms had one of the Bulldogs' three shots on goal in the first half while the Tigers generated four shots on goal and four corner kicks.

With his team down a goal at the intermission, Dement challenged his players to be more aggressive.

"In the first half, I thought they won more balls than us, but when we did get breaks, it was transition because Cape, I thought, was the better team for a lot of the first half," Dement said. "It was just us receiving the ball, making a couple passes and then finding that transition through ball.

Central's Madilyn Dunn battles Sikeston's Emma Jones for the ball during the second half Monday, May 10, 2016 at Cape Girardeau Central High School.Fred Lynch

"In the second half, I thought it was the other way around, and you saw a lot of backside runs that we got and a lot of chances on goal that we got -- that was because we were the aggressive team, I thought, as far as winning the first ball. That's just such a big thing in soccer, winning that first ball."

Bowman cleared away a chance 8 yards in front of the net in the 47th minute, but it wasn't long after that Helms provided the equalizer.

In the 51st minute, sophomore Mackenzie Yant got the ball to Helms, who blasted a strong shot from 30 yards out on the right. The ball was placed high and on goal, sending Tigers goalkeeper Katie Kinder drifting back and into the net. Kinder was unable to get her hand on the ball, as Sikeston (8-10-2) tied the game at 1-all.

"She's getting knocked over and falling over and still able to get her laces on the ball and put it on frame," Dement said. "She caught the keeper off her line.

"I thought we played much better possession soccer and had much better aggression in the second half."

The pressure continued for the Bulldogs in the following minutes with two breakaway chances before Helms put her side ahead for good with a shot that was similar to her first in the 63rd minute.

Central's Jordan Collins challenges Sikeston's Annie Ensor for a header as Calli House looks on during the second half Monday, May 10, 2016 at Cape Girardeau Central High School.Fred Lynch

From 28 yards out, she blasted a direct free kick just under the left side of the crossbar out of Kinder's reach, giving Sikeston a 2-1 advantage.

"She just puts it on frame and high on those two shots, and for keepers, sometimes that high ball is tough. It'll play tricks on you, and you're kind of backpedaling into your goal. Those are the toughest to save," Dement said. "Torrie, her whole career, she's got a really good shot, and when she puts her laces on it and on frame, it's going to have a chance."

Central (3-16-1) spent most of the second half trying to possess in the midfield. The Tigers fired only two shots on goal in the final 40 minutes.

"We really struggled uncovering," Martin said. "We couldn't link up from backs to mids to forwards. We were always covered up, so that made a tough 40 minutes when you're constantly defending. Give credit to Sikeston for doing that."

Dement said limiting Huff's touches was something he emphasized to his players in the second half.

"I'm not looking forward to defending her for a few more years," Dement said about Huff. "She's just a freshman, but she's got wheels and plays hard. She just doesn't quit. For my girl, Lyndsey McClendon -- who had to lock up with her so many times -- to keep her off the scoreboard there in the second half, that was huge for us. I also had to put a freshman [Hana Mason] at outside D in the second half, and she also played well."

Each team's goalkeeper, Graham and Kinder, finished with five saves.

The game is also a preview of two teams that could potentially meet in the Class 3 District 1 tournament, which begins Monday in Sikeston.

Until then, the Bulldogs will look to extend their three-game winning streak when they conclude the regular season Thursday against visiting Fredericktown.

"Any win, any positive result, is going to carry momentum," said Dement, whose third-seeded squad begins the district tournament against No. 2 Farmington. "Soccer's a lot about confidence, and carrying confidence will be huge going into districts. It doesn't mean we'll win the game, but it's going to at least bring us a positive mentality. So that'll help."

Meanwhile, Central will try to snap an eight-game losing streak today with a regular-season finale on the road against Festus. The fourth-seeded Tigers face top-seeded Poplar Bluff in the district tournament opener.

"This game's beautiful, and I think on any night, it can be anybody's district," Martin said. "I love our chances, and I love our team going forward, especially Monday. We have one more opportunity to get ready, and it starts tomorrow. It's a good test, and then we'll train Thursday and Friday and get ready for Monday."