Lineup tinkering pays dividends for Lamar in first-round runaway

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 27, 2004
Lamar Schools lineup change to begin its first-round soccer playoff game against Starkville Academy worked like a charm on Monday afternoon.
The Raiders (9-1-1) moved sweeper Drew Moffett out of the backfield to the striker position next to the team's leading scorer Randy Boyd Thompson to get off to a quick start against the Volunteers.
Thompson and Moffett each notched a goal in the game's opening 10 minutes as Lamar scored a 6-1 win over Starkville (10-4) at Grey Cobbs Field.
Thompson tallied the Raiders' first goal of the game 2 1/2 minutes into the match with a shot from about 25 yards out. Thompson's low shot, which was set up by Lane Rush, skipped on the wet playing surface and past Starkville's goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
Moffett scored the second goal of the game after the Volunteers' goalkeeper couldn't handle a long shot off a free kick from about 40 yards out by Raiders defender Tommy Edgerton. Moffett knocked in the rebound from the save for a 2-0 lead in the game's seventh minute.
Thompson added another goal in the opening half receiving a pass from Cameron Sherrill, who threaded the ball to the striker through four defenders, to take a 3-0 lead in the 27th minute.
Sherrill added a goal himself at the 30-minute mark off an assist by Will Carter to give Lamar a 4-0 lead at halftime.
While the offense was piling up goals in the first half, the Lamar defense had a couple close calls, as the ball took funny skips off the wet field.
Raiders goaltender Scott Owen was able to knock down long shots by the Volunteers twice in the opening half, but he was unable to hang onto the wet ball.
Fortunately, Owen was able to fall on one shot and the defense was able to knock away another rebound from Starkville's attackers.
In the second half, Moffett added another quick goal for Lamar to push the lead to 5-0 in the game's 51st minute. The striker sent a shot in from about 30 yards out that barely cleared the Volunteers goalkeeper's fingers.
Starkville tallied its lone goal of the game with 12:24 to play, as Terry Silva scored off a free kick to cut Lamar's lead to 5-1.
Owen, who moved to the striker position after exiting the net, tallied the last goal of the game in the 73rd minute on a breakaway, beating the goalkeeper on the short side.