Sikeston downs DeSoto in windy match

SIKESTON — The ball wasn't just passed or kicked; it was launched, swerved, and dipped at the whim of the wind.

Yet, Sikeston navigated the aerial chaos, defeating DeSoto 4-1 at Bill Lawson Memorial Field on Tuesday, April 2.

“It makes everything tougher,” said Sikeston coach Gabe Dement. “I don’t care if you’re a professional or a high school player. It’s hard to control the ball when the wind is blowing 20 to 30 miles per hour.”

Sikeston's Karleigh Dement (8) passes during a 4-1 win over DeSoto at Bill Lawson Memorial Field on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

The Lady Bulldogs (4-3) attack struck first. Landri Hammontree broke the scoreless tie with 11 minutes and five seconds left in the first half, finishing on a pass from Cate Schrumpf to make it 1-0.

But the Lady Dragons (0-4) found the equalizer with 30:38 left in the second half.

The deadlock didn't last long. Freshman Karleigh Dement came up clutch, notching her first-ever high school goal off a feed from Kenzie Ogden to regain the lead for Sikeston with 27:25 left.

Sikeston's Kennedi Sims (2) shoots during a 4-1 win over DeSoto at Bill Lawson Memorial Field on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat

“It was kind of a weird shot,” coach Dement said. “But she just put it in a good place, it took a hop and went it in.

“You’re not expecting to get a goal from her there,” he continued. “But that was huge for the team. When they tied it 1-1, the thought was, here we go. It was neck-and-neck and they had all the momentum. If we don’t put that in, you never know what happened.”

The Lady Bulldogs didn’t look back. Schrumpf, turning from provider to scorer, extended the advantage to 3-1 with 17:33 remaining, as Hammontree returned the favor with the assist.

Kennedi Sims sealed the victory, burying a pass from Hammontree to make it 4-1 with 16:10 to play.

“[Schrumpf, Sims and Hammontree] created a lot of things,” coach Dement said. “But it all started with our defense winning the ball and connecting to a midfielder.

“It was also a positive to see four different players score,” he continued. “It makes you feel good about the future, and about the girls trusting each other to make those goals.

Hopefully, we can continue seeing the wealth spread.”

Goalkeeper Hailey Presley wasn’t tested much in the game and finished with two saves.

Sikeston travels to Saxony Lutheran (4-1) on Thursday, April 4, and hosts Cape Central (3-3) on Tuesday, April 9.