St. Vincent beats Mules

A slow first half halted the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules soccer team in its tracks.

Despite a second-half rally, the Lady Mules fought hard to even the score, but with failed attempts to strike a goal, they fell short to St. Vincent 2-1 in an epic Monday night matchup.

“I think we started off too slow at the beginning,” Poplar Bluff coach Rusty Crafton said about his team’s performance. “We struggled in the first half, which is typical for us, but we did pull it together for the rest of the game. You have to play a complete game when going up against good teams like St. Vincent.”

Crafton said the Lady Mules came out with the right mindset, but the energy was a step behind St. Vincent, leading them to jump ahead. He felt their passes were slow, and they turned the ball over but is happy with how they regrouped in the second half.

The St. Vincent Lady Indians (8-3) hopped out front early as the Lady Mules struggled to keep them from their side of the field. The Lady Indians managed to hold Poplar Bluff scoreless in the first half with constant stops to their offense at midfield.

Trailing 1-0 to start the second period, the Lady Mules came out with a lot more energy to make a run at St. Vincent. Despite the aggressive approach from the Lady Mules, St. Vincent remained hungry and connected with a direct kick from senior Allie Strattman, extending the score 2-0.

Under the 10-minute mark, the Lady Mules finally responded with a line-drive kick from senior Sydney Kramer, shifting the momentum for a comeback. With increased intensity on defense, the Lady Mules had many attempts to connect with another goal, but time wasn’t on their side.

St. Vincent played a smart game of keep-away from the Lady Mules and drained the clock to secure the win.

Kramer connected with the one goal while senior Nevaeh Larkins collected 19 saves for the Lady Mules.

With a few games under their belt, Crafton said he’s noticed a few adjustments the Lady Mules still have to make as they progress through the season.

“I believe we need to work on conditioning because we seemed a little tired towards the end,” he said. “Our mindset is to keep working on our passes and holding possession of the ball.”

The Lady Mules will be on the road Wednesday to take on Saxony Lutheran at 4 p.m.