Win streak hits five for Lady Mules

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules soccer team turned things around as the squad battled through one of their toughest stretches of the season.

The Lady Mules extended their winning streak to five in a 3-0 victory over Farmington Wednesday night. With this win, their record improves to 10-6 on the season.

Earlier this year, Poplar Bluff coach Rusty Crafton said the main priority for the Lady Mules was health. He believed they could be a strong unit once the team was at full strength. Despite their up-and-down season, the Lady Mules have managed to pull off some impressive wins to stay above .500.

After slowly working players back into the lineup, Crafton finally got his wish with a full roster as his team gets closer to the district tournament.

“We feel pretty confident about it,” Crafton said about the Lady Mules’ recent surge in wins. “We’ve had a chance to play some games and fix some of minor kinks, which I think has made us a whole lot better.

“Hopefully, these injuries are a thing of the past, but overall I’m just proud of the girls. There’s a good group of girls, and their hard work has definitely paid off.”

The Lady Mules picked up right where they left off after Monday’s win over Sikeston as they carried their momentum against Farmington. Back in full health, Poplar Bluff came out with top-notch energy to force the Lady Knights into an early defense.

Senior Olivia Carda carried the Lady Mules once again with two goals, connecting with her first one off an assist from freshman Haley Jarrell in the first half. Carda struck again only a few minutes into the second period with a line drive on the assist from Cori Duncan.

The Lady Mules had an easy night as the entire team stepped up to keep Farmington on one side of the field. Sophomore Madyson Kordick put the icing on the cake with the final goal for the Lady Mules on a swift setup from Ireland Gowen.

The Lady Mules took 23 shots at Farmington’s goalkeeper, while senior Nevaeh Larkins had an easy night with six saves.

Poplar Bluff will host Northwest of Cedar Hill Friday at 5:30 p.m.