CRAWFORD’S LATE ‘DEPOSIT’ FUELS SOUTHSIDE

Southside coach Jeremy Davis got what he expected Tuesday night: a close match between two teams with plenty of respect for one another. He also got a huge goal as the first-half buzzer was about to sound. Southside junior Kyla Crawford scored with a second left in the half and the Mavericks edged Northside, 2-0, at Mayo-Thompson Stadium. Nothing comes easy against the Lady Bears, and Tuesday was no exception. “That was real big,” Davis said of Crawford’s goal. “They always play a lot of close games, and so we need as many goals as possible. We always talk about it like a bank; you want to make as many deposits as possible, and that was a big deposit right there at the end of the month when you’re kind of crunching.” Southside (11-4, 5-2) had multiple chances to expand its lead in the first half, and it came close to adding on in the second. The Mavericks controlled the tempo throughout. “I think it had to wear on them defensively,” Davis said. “We came out in the second half and pretty much had what we wanted. We had a lot of chances, it just wasn’t our night to finish.” “It was a real bummer for us, but I don’t think it’s what actually stopped us,” Northside coach Alyssa Bodine said of Crawford’s goal. “I think we actually played better in the first half, even though we went down two goals,” Bodine continued. “The second half, we didn’t play our best. Our goalie (Debbie Rangel) saved us and our defense was strong in the second half. “They (Southside) were just very physical and very fast.” Northside (4-8, 1-6) had very few offensive chances, but Rangel kept them in it, especially early. She had a nice two-handed save on Kelly Carson’s potential goal with 21:37 left, and Carson missed wide left at the 15:10 mark. Rangel had another stop on Crawford’s potential goal at the 11:34 mark. But Rangel, just a sophomore, couldn’t prevent steady Nancy Mendoza from slipping one through at the 6:38 mark. “We pushed the ball; we tried not to let them have it on our end of the field,” Mendoza said. “It was a big push to keep them in their half.” It appeared for all the world that Southside was content with their 1-0 lead at the break until Crawford booted one home just before the buzzer. Southside’s own sophomore goalie, Melanie Rice, was steady in goal in the win. Carson said beating Northside at their place was payback for what the Lady Bears did a year ago. “I remember last year we let them get us the first time,” she said. “We had to let them know that we’re here and we’re ready to play.” Southside opens the second half of conference play Thursday at Conway. “I think we let a lot of teams stay in the game in the first round,” Carson said. “I think that we can dominate.” Northside 4, Southside 1 BOYS — The Northside Grizzlies defeated the Southside Mavericks on Tuesday, 4-0, in 7A-Central play. Senior Cesar Ramirez gave the Grizzlies (12-2-1, 6-1) a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals. He scored at the 19:31 mark for a 1-0 lead, and he hit the net again with 6:22 left in the half. Southside (8-8, 3-4) kept it close after missing an early chance. Northside’s Kareem Ihmeidan made it 3-0 with 16:07 left in the game, and freshman Christian Chavez scored with 11:41 remaining. Southside’s Sydney Oliver spoiled the Grizzlies’ shutout bid with a goal at the 1:38 mark. The Grizzlies travel to Bryant on Thursday and Southside heads to Conway.

CRAWFORD’S LATE ‘DEPOSIT’ FUELS SOUTHSIDE

Photo Credit: Jamie Mitchell

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