MSMS soccer faced local rival Columbus High School and took a pair of non-district victories to open both teams’ seasons. In the Thursday, Nov. 7 matches, the Lady Waves dominated their first match with a 7-0 win and the Blue Waves took a solid 3-0 victory in the second game.

In the first match, one goal came as an own goal from the Falcons, while juniors made the other six. Madison Johnson earned a quick hat trick, joined by two more from Lauren Rutherford and one from Destiny Van.

Head coach Chuck Yarborough looked at his team’s performance Thursday with excitement for the future.

“We are off to a solid start,” Yarborough said. ”The girls have worked together well and are working to get better. We have a lot of inexperienced players, but they are learning and growing. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made so far.”

Johnson agreed that cooperation defined the team’s success.

“I was very nervous about the first match because we had not practiced with each other for long,” Johnson said. “However, when we stepped onto the field everything just came together. Our teamwork was strong during the game which was something I was worried about at first. From defense to midfield making the perfect pass to me is part of why I was able to score. It was a team effort.”

Destiny Van shared excitement with the quick growth of the team along with her first goal.

“It was quite exhilarating because I’ve never really scored much before in a soccer game,” Van said. “Overall I’d say that we played extremely well considering we only had six practices. I’m really proud of what we accomplished in our first match, and I’m looking forward to future matches.”

In the second match, juniors took a similar lead in the team’s performance. A trio of juniors–Nicholas Djedjos, Tsetsenkhaan “Chingun” Tsogt-Erdene and Carter Miller–scored all three goals. 

Senior Cameron Wright was encouraged by the skill shown by the juniors so early in the season.

“The juniors really stepped it up,” Wright said. “As a team that has only been able to practice together for a couple of weeks, we did extremely well. I’m looking forward to seeing how far we’ll go this season.”

Tsogt-Erdene noted strong support from seniors as a key to the victory.

“I felt like our team played amazing considering we had two practices with the team that played against Columbus,” Tsogt-Erdene said. “I am so excited about the upcoming games. The seniors are leading us, and I hope we can make the playoffs this year.”

Both the teams aim to continue their undefeated season in home matches against Nettleton this Thursday, Nov. 12. The girls will kick off at 5:30, while the boys will at 7:00.

The next matches will see several changes to rosters as many juniors have left campus since the first match. Despite the shifting line-ups, Coach Yarborough hopes to see continued growth from all players.

“I’m sure our players will see the two lessons of team sports come true in the coming weeks,” Yarborough said. “If you work hard individually, you can improve yourself, and if you work together, you can improve your team or community.”

Tsogt-Erdene will continue to play, and he will be playing for more than just to support his teammates.

“I have not seen my father in person since August 2019 because that’s when I moved to Mississippi and this past summer Mongolia had their borders closed, so I couldn’t visit him,” Tsogt-Erdene said. “Ever since moving to Mississippi it has felt different without him watching, but I would send him videos and pictures after the games. I will continue playing for him and make him proud while he is on the opposite side of the world.”

Gallery • 8 Photos

Kate McElhinney

Junior Zoe Damessous practices her shots in a drill before the match.