WILLIAMSBURG — Another big game from senior Autumn Sawyers helped guide the Whitley County Lady Colonels to their first appearance in the 13th Region Girls’ Soccer Tournament championship game after avenging a loss earlier in the season to Middlesboro.
Sawyers scored six goals as the Lady Colonels handed the Lady Yellow Jackets a 8-2 loss on Tuesday.
Whitley County (9-7) will now play North Laurel and on Thursday at 6 p.m.
“The girls played amazing our defense and marked well tonight and our goalie Rheagen Strickland played another amazing game,” Whitley County coach Michael Sawyers said. “The midfield rotated and delivered the ball extremely well tonight to our forwards and they found the back of the net.”
Sawyers scored the first of her four goals 11 minutes into the match and the Lady Colonels never looked back.
Norma Proffitt added another goal two minutes later to give Whitley County a 2-0 advantage. Sawyers followed with her second goal at the 26-minute mark, pushing her team’s lead to 3-0.
Middlesboro got on the scoreboard during the 37th minute, but Sawyers answered with a penalty kick a minute later, giving her team a 4-1 lead at halftime.
Sawyers continues her impressive play in the second half. Her fourth goal during the 44th minute gave the Lady Colonels a 5-1 cushion. Briliegh Logan added a goal during the 46th minute to make the score, 6-1.
The Lady Yellow Jackets responded with a goal at the 52-minute mark to cut their deficit to 6-2.
Sawyers added her fifth goal of the match during the 67th minute, pushing Whitley County’s lead to five goals at 7-2. And, a minute later Sawyers struck again on a breakaway making the score, 8-2.
Sawyers finished with six goals and an assist while Proffitt had two goals and an assist. Logan had a goal while Andrea Dees had two assists and Cali Nugent finished with one assist.
