Boys soccer secures win in overtime

Drew Gager and Lauren Gardner • March 6, 2020

Senior Jake McTee passes the ball in order to keep it away from the other team. The team beat Sherman in overtime.

The boys varsity soccer team (7-1) had an overtime win on Tuesday against the Sherman Bearcats (4-2); the game ended up being determined by penalty kicks after each team scored only one goal in the first two periods. The team’s win secured them the first place spot.

The team hit all four of their penalty shots and junior goalie Sammy Merrick was able to limit the Bearcats to one goal out of three shots.

“I thought I played well overall, ” Merrick said. “I felt like I could’ve done better during the game by not conceding a goal which sent us to PK’s (penalty kicks).”

The boys were only able to score once in the two periods, after giving up the ball several times during the game. Junior forward James Finch talks about how the team played on Tuesday compared to past games.

“We played ok,” Finch said. “We were not looking up before we passed the ball and we were basically giving the other team the game at the beginning. Our team needs to improve on working harder toward 50/50 balls. We don’t put enough effort into it which leads to them getting the ball more often.”

Team practices enabled success during the game by giving the team time to practice penalty skill kicks outside of game time.

“I wasn’t surprised at all that we went perfect from the penalty spot,” Merrick said. “Everyday once practice is over the coach has players he wants to take penalties to prepare them for moments like we had on Tuesday night against Sherman.”

Although penalties are a necessary part of the game, they are not an accurate measure of success for the team.

“For me personally when it comes to PK’s, the goalie is at the disadvantage because the goalie isn’t expected to save it, the player taking it is expected to score it and so when the first Sherman player stepped up to the spot I was nervous and then when he shot it and I saved I was fired up because that was a bit of pressure taken off our shoulders,” Merrick said.

When picked for the penalty shot, the single point depends on the player and their one shot into the goal.

“I was a little nervous but confident at the same time, because our captains helped me calm down,” Callicutt said. “Coach makes us practice PK’s constantly, which helped us a lot and our goalie (Merrick), came up big saving two of the shots.”

About the Contributors

Drew Gager, Staff Writer

During his first year with The Red Ledger, sophomore Drew Gager will contribute as a staff writer. His hobbies include golfing and playing video games. He loves to watch football and wants to be a NFL analyst when he grows up. He joined The Red Ledger staff so he could pursue his dreams to be on ESPN and talk about football all day long.. His favorite movie is “Hateful Eight” and he doesn’t have a favorite actor because he believes Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington are all the best actors of all time. He plans on going to Oklahoma University to major in journalism. After Drew has made five hundred billion dollars doing something (to be determined), he will spend it all on junk food. Drew is a part of a big family at home. He has two sisters and one brother at home, and he knows being a part of The Red Ledger family will be a great experience.

Lauren Gardner, Staff Writer

Lauren Gardner, a senior, dreamer, logophile, and artist, strongly believes in the importance of pursuing one's passions and evolving fully into who you are. This is her second year on The Red Ledger, and she will contribute as a staff writer. As an individual, Lauren is passionate about social injustice, cognitive and behavioral studies, traveling, the arts and cultural awareness. Lauren believes in the philosophy of broadening the capacity of the mind and analyzing life from a deeper perspective than at face value. After graduation, Lauren is excited to go to college and hopes to travel the entire world. Throughout her life, she feels writing has allowed her to fully express who she is, and without it, she would not be where she is today. Whether she is aimlessly sketching, traveling to new places, or creating pieces of literary work, Lauren hopes that overall she can bring consciousness and change in the world.

Olivia Lauter, Section Editor

Heading into her fourth and final year in TRL, senior Olivia Lauter could not be more thrilled to soak up every last minute of shooting sports, events and portraits for her favorite publication. Lauter has spent every day of her high school career with a camera around her neck, and you won’t catch her without it until graduation day. As well as being the photo editor for TRL, Lauter is a varsity cheerleader and involved in PALS and NHS. When she’s not on the sidelines with her camera or cheering on the Leopards, Lauter is with her friends, who she adores more than life itself. You will probably hear “last time, best time” and how “bittersweet” senior year is continually from Lauter this year, but she is just excited to spend one more year doing what she loves alongside the people she loves on TRL.