Bulldogs overcome Crusaders

By By Jeff Byrd / sports editor
Feb. 2, 2003
BILOXI With the odds growing increasingly against them, the Clarkdale Bulldogs somehow found a way to pull out a victory here in the Class 1A-2A-3A soccer quarterfinals on Saturday evening at Yankie Stadium.
Alex Taylor was at the right place at the right moment making a header off a toss corner pass from Jonathan Pickett and into the goal in the second overtime against Mercy Cross.
The nearly exhausted Bulldog defense then held on for the final two minutes of the second overtime to take the dramatic 2-1 victory.
Clarkdale, now 16-1, moves on to face arch-rival West Lauderdale on Tuesday in Collinsville. The Bulldogs have beaten the Knights this season but both were one-goal games, with the last having come off a double-overtime shootout.
West Lauderdale advanced to the 1A-3A semifinals by beating Resurrection 2-0 in Pascagoula on Saturday afternoon.
Clarkdale head coach Mark Taylor was amazed with the heart and character his team showed in the contest, especially second half, after the Bulldogs had lost two of its most skilled players.
Mid-fielder Justin Culpepper went down with a badly sprained knee after a tough tackle at mid-field by Mercy Cross. He did not return and will have a MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury.
Forward Jake Gray, who scored the Bulldogs' lone goal in regulation, was exited out of the game after receiving his second yellow-card with about 20 minutes to play.
A key to making it to overtime was goal-keeper Adam Box and sweeper Ted Thompson. The pair, along with aid from the other Bulldogs, turned back six goal chances by the Crusaders in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Twice, the Crusaders had a one-on-one break on Box, but the Bulldog keeper made each play, keeping the game tied.
If Box wasn't making saves, Thompson was clearing the zone with either a timely block or a kick to the corner.
The game turned into overtime. David Prewitt got clear and tried a cross pass that was foiled and that pretty much was the only good chance for either team in the first overtime period.
Mercy Cross had two chances early in the second overtime. The first, coming off a corner kick, sailed high and wide. Then, a back Bulldog defender was yellow-carded giving the Crusaders an opportunity on a side penalty kick. Again, the Bulldogs turned it away.
Finally with about two minutes left in the second overtime, Clarkdale got a break with a call against the Crusaders. The result would be a toss from the corner which Pickett lofted. Taylor was right in the middle and got enough on the header to put in the goal giving Clarkdale a 2-1 lead.
Mercy Cross, who finishes 15-2, had one last push in the final seconds. It too was turned back by a sliding boot out of the zone.
While the game was played for the most part with good fluidness, it was rough. The tackle that brought down Culpepper was a tough play.
Still, Taylor was appreciative of how Mercy Cross reacted afterwards.
The Crusaders grabbed a 1-0 lead when Daniel Steinwinder got past the Bulldog defense with an excellent burst of speed. He crossed up Box for the goal, the only time it happened all day.