The Lady Tiger soccer squad finished with a perfect preseason record leading into this Tuesday night’s season opener at Wilson Central, the team going 7-0, topping it off with an impressive showing on their home pitch in a play day this past Saturday.
The Tigers kicked off the jamboree-style preseason challenge with a 1-0 win over Cannon County Saturday on the team’s practice field on the campus of Smithville High School. The event was held there as the finishing touches are made to the school’s new soccer field which is expected to play host to their home opener Sept. 3 against district-rival Crossville.
The lone goal against Cannon County was scored by Raven Savage, unassisted. Tiger's goalkeeper, Kelbi Young, had four saves in the match which saw DeKalb dominate in time of possession. The Lady Tigers came out strong in the Cannon match, but had difficulty finishing their scoring opportunities as it was a shooting gallery on the Lady Lion end with 16 Lady Tiger shots on goal with only the one finding the back of the net.
In the Lady Tigers second match against Macon County, they got things going a little faster. Scoring five goals on 26 shots, the Lady Tigers controlled the game and got everyone some good playing time. Goals were scored by Rainey Tiner), Sarette Aranda, Raven Savage (2), and Diana Ramirez. Kelbi Young had four saves as net minder.
The third match of the day for the Lady Tigers came against Smith County. The visitors drew first blood, scoring an early goal, but the Rainey Tiner quickly equalized for the Lady Tigers. The Lady Tigers were able to score three more goals and finish with a 4-1 win. Accounting for the scoring against Smith County were Rainey Tiner, Sophia Angeletti, and Raven Savage (2). Kelbi Young had seven saves in the match.
The teams met each other in the championship match of the day. The game, at the end of a humid day, ended up being a 0-0 draw, sending the teams to penalty kicks to determine the day’s champion. The Lady Tigers won 4-3 in penalties to take first place in the preseason tourney. Smith County finished second, and Cannon County beat Macon County for third.
