Powell sophomore scores three in 4-1 win over Oak Ridge

 

POWELL—Powell sophomore Raygan Scarbrough scored three goals, a hat trick, in a 4-1 win over Oak Ridge at Powell on Thursday.

The loss ended a 10-game winning streak for the Lady Wildcats, who are now 10-1 overall and 3-1 in District 3-Class AAA. It could have an impact on whether Oak Ridge gets home field advantage in the playoffs, Lady Wildcats Coach Jeff Trombly said.

It was also an important district victory for Powell (4-2-1, 2-0).

“It’s a huge win for us,” Powell Coach Mark Smith said. “It’s become a good rivalry between the two teams.”

He said Oak Ridge, Powell, and Karns have been the top three seeds in the district the past three years.

Scarbrough, a striker forward, scored all three of her goals in the first half, when the Lady Panthers shut out Oak Ridge. It’s not a position that the Lady Wildcats are used to, having shut out their opponents seven times this soccer season.

Junior right back Leah Scudder gave the Lady Wildcats some hope in the second half when she scored on a breakaway with about 24 minutes remaining. But Powell answered with a fourth goal, this one by senior striker forward Taylor Poe.

Scarbrough said it was her first hat trick ever. She gave credit to her teammates for “building up the ball” and getting it to her.

“Without them, I wouldn’t have gotten those opportunities,” Scarbrough said.

She scored first about four minutes into the game, with an assist from sophomore striker forward Rachel Ross.

Scarbrough scored again on a header that she hit into the right side of the net off a pass from Poe with about 15 minutes left in the first half.

She scored again on a high, arcing shot from midfield that she buried in the Oak Ridge net. The score was 3-0 for Powell at halftime.

The Lady Wildcats stepped up their pressure in the second half, adjusting their formation, improving on offense and defense, spending more time in the Powell end— and less time in their own—and getting more scoring opportunities. But with the exception of the one goal by Scudder, they weren’t able to convert those opportunities into goals.

“We just didn’t finish,” Trombly said.

Poe scored the fourth goal for Powell on a cross from the left side of the field, kicking it in to the right of Oak Ridge senior goalkeeper Jasmine Rizk.

Trombly called the Thursday defeat a disappointing loss, but not the end of the season. The team learned a lot, and the Lady Wildcats have to play soccer starting at the beginning of the game, he said.

Powell was hustling in the first half, and Oak Ridge made too many mistakes in the backfield, Trombly said.

“We got a good early start,” Smith said. “Got a couple of quick, early goals.”

Freshman center midfielder Bailey Taylor had two assists for Powell in Thursday’s game, which was played at Powell Middle School.

Oak Ridge will play at Gibbs (5-2, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.