Sikeston reverses fortune, thumps Kelly 5-1

BENTON, Mo. — In a rivalry game packed with extra meaning, Sikeston delivered a statement win on Kelly at Lambert Field.

The Lady Bulldogs (2-0) took complete control after halftime, overwhelming the Lady Hawks (0-2) with a relentless attack that propelled them to a 5-1 triumph on Thursday, March 21.

“It means a lot. A couple of these girls on [Kelly] are my best friends,” said senior Sikeston Kenzie Odgen. “I’ve played travel and club ball with them growing up. A lot is going on behind the scenes that you don’t see. Beating them 5-1 means a lot to us. I liked how much aggression we came out with today. We were deadset on winning and we brought that to the field.”

Kennedi Sims put Sikeston on the board first with just over 22 minutes left in the first half. But Kelly's Nandelle Campos responded with a late equalizer, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.

“Overall in the first half, we could have been better, but we did create a lot of chances, said Sikeston coach Gabe Dement. “We started well and had it locked in on their end, but we started getting complacent with our possessions, just kicking the ball instead of relaxing and finding passes. We just couldn’t put the ball in the goal more than that one time.”

The second half was a different story.

Sims struck again with 35:36 to play, and less than a minute later, Sims completed her hat trick, assisted by Landri Hammontree, as the Lady Bulldogs seized momentum.

Hammontree added another assist on a goal by Cate Schrumpf with 19:25 left.

“We talked about a few things at halftime,” Dement said. “We were shooting from too far out, giving the goalie easy saves. They were able to clear the ball, reset and push out every time. Instead of taking that long shot where it’s rare to score, the thought was to take a touch and make the extra pass.

“In the second half that happened,” he continued. “We were looking to move the ball, we connected feet and found pass strings. The results were the goals and all the good chances we created.”

Schrumpf scored again on an assist from Kenzie Ogden with 11:11 left in the game.

“We communicated and passed well,” Schrumpf said. “All of my teammates were finding me on some perfect through balls.”

Sikeston's relentless pressure was reflected in the stat sheet. Hailey Presley recorded seven saves for the Lady Bulldogs, while Kelly's goalkeeping duo of Kayleigh Holman (17 saves) and Kendal Munoz (3 saves) faced a constant barrage.

This victory was a stark contrast to last season's matchups, where Sikeston suffered two one-goal losses.

Sikeston hosts Ritenour (0-0) on Saturday, March 23, and travels to Notre Dame (1-0) on Tuesday, March 26, while Kelly travels to Duquoin (Ill.) on Monday, March 25.

Then, the teams will meet again at the Sports Complex in Sikeston on Wednesday, March 27.