Both MSMS soccer teams fell to Vardaman for the second time this season on Dec. 7, with the Frazer team losing 7-2 and the Goen team losing by a 7-0 mercy rule.
Frazer’s two goals were scored by junior striker Drew Dowdy and senior midfielder Ethan Liao. Dowdy and Liao both said the team started the match strong but lost confidence after Vardaman scored.
“After [Vardaman] scored three goals, our focus and our morale were kind of lost,” Liao said.
“Our defense was really, really strong for the first half, but we just lost morale after they scored a penalty kick, which put them up a significant amount,” Dowdy added. “We definitely underperformed in the second half and gave up six more goals than we should have.”
Goen co-captain Ella Jones said her team’s morale was damaged throughout the game by the perceived bias of the referees, which ultimately impacted their performance.
“The referees knew the other team personally, even to the extent of knowing them on a first-name basis,” Jones said. “They also argued with the other captains and myself on the field and admitted to not being sure about a foul.”
Senior co-captain and striker Sebastian Harvey was notably absent from the game after scoring a triple hat trick in the Winona match two days prior.
Dowdy said that while the score of the Vardaman match was lower than it would have been if Harvey was present, his absence ultimately did not affect the result of the game.
“I don’t think it was Sebastian’s absence that caused the loss since it was mainly defensive L’s we were taking,” Dowdy said. “Sebastian being there would have helped us score goals, but that wouldn’t have overcome the weaknesses of our defense and midfield.”
MSMS faces Kemper County next at 5:30 p.m. Thursday [Dec. 14] away at the Landon B. Mitchell Stadium for the Blue Waves’ third district match.
