Meridian wins U-19 State Games soccer gold in sloppy conditions
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
June 28, 2004
Meridian splashed and sloshed its way to a gold medal in the State Games of Mississippi under-19 boys soccer tournament on Sunday.
On a rain-soaked field at the Northeast Soccer Complex, Meridian downed Philadelphia 6-1 in a morning game. The two teams were scheduled to play an afternoon tie-breaker game that proved unnecessary after Meridian's five-goal victory.
The Meridian team was composed of players from West Lauderdale High School, Lamar School, Northeast Lauderdale High School, Southeast Lauderdale High School and Meridian High School.
After getting their feet wet literally in the opening 10 minutes, Meridian struck first with a goal from striker Scott Truesdale.
Truesdale, who usually plays goal for West Lauderdale's soccer team, received a cross from the right side of the field by Randy Boyd Thompson at the left goal post of Philadelphia's net. Truesdale sent his shot into the right corner for a 1-0 lead at the game's 10-minute mark.
Paul Tate struck again for Meridian 11 minutes after the first goal of the game, putting the first of his three goals in the opening half into an open net.
Philadelphia's goalkeeper left his net to try and pick up a loose ball to the right of his goal, but the ball squirted free of a pack of players to the center of the net and onto Tate's foot. Tate buried the ball for a 2-0 lead.
Philadelphia got on the scoreboard in the game's 22nd minute, as Kyle Vowell scored on a penalty kick after Meridian was called for a foul in its goal box. The penalty kick was one of two shots Philadelphia had on net in the first half and cut Meridian's lead to 2-1.
Tate picked up his second goal of the game in the 29th minute shooting the ball into the right side of the net, and he scored his third goal in the 30th minute scoring on a rebound from Thompson's shot for a 4-1 lead.
Meridian midfielder Will Carter, whose team took a 4-1 lead into the break, opened the scoring in the second half by scoring from the middle of Philadelphia's goal box. Thompson set up Carter's goal for his second assist of the game.
Tommy Edgerton capped the scoring for Meridian with two minutes left in the game, after the striker was taken down in Philadelphia's goal box. Edgerton was awarded a penalty kick and buried the shot into the left side of the net.
Meridian outshot Philadelphia 25-6 in the win.
