Nine years. The Gibson Southern Lady Titans waited nine years to finally get the win over the Mater Dei Lady Wildcats. On September 5, at The Fort, the soccer team’s home turf, the Lady Titans tasted the sweetness of victory with a 1-0 win over their formidable opponent. The Titans have an undefeated season so far, adding to that with this win takes their record to 6-0.
“I mean, the goal is to win, but mostly it was just to play well,” said Gibson Southern Girls soccer coach Sylvia Sellers. “We were just going to be really happy if we could play well and stand up against one of these Evansville teams that we knew was one of the good teams.”
This was going to be a challenging game for the Lady Titans, so going in with a positive mindset was a key aspect to the game. Mater Dei is just as good as Jasper and Central according to Sellers. Beating the Wildcats made the Lady Titans realize anything can happen.
The teams were fairly matched to start the game, as it was a scoreless first half.
“We could tell they were getting tired and knew we had to keep pushing,” junior Halle Evans said. “Everybody was so determined to win.”
Going into the second half, the Titans were feeling more confident knowing they held Mater Dei the entire first half. They noticed the Wildcats getting tired and frustrated, so they knew they were getting into their heads.
The teams battled back and forth for about 35 minutes of the second half, with neither team scoring.With about five minutes left in the second half, Evans scored with an assist from Jenna Loyd.
Evans was on a high after scoring the most crucial play in the game.
“We were just ecstatic because we were like, ‘Holy crap, we did it,’ but now we have to hold it down,” Sellers said. “It was awesome because we felt like we had the momentum, and we felt confident at that point. “
This goal was a huge momentum shift for the Lady Titans. This was exactly what they needed to feel in control of the game.
The Lady Titans played a lock down defense against Mater Dei, keeping their score at zero. Senior Chloey Graham, the Lady Titans goalie, was on her toes throughout the game, as she had 11 saves.
“During the game, my only focus is the ball,” Graham said. “I know that if it comes to me, I have to stop the ball.”
The Titans credit teamwork for their success against Mater Dei.
“I think our teamwork was really good.” Graham said. “No one was selfish at all. The only reason we scored was because of teamwork, and the only reason we stopped the ball was because of teamwork.”
