Late surge powers Lady Eagles to win

By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
August 29, 2004
After 15 forgettable minutes in the first half, Meridian Community College's women's soccer team found its rhythm against Itawamba Community College.
The Lady Eagles tallied five goals in the final 12 minutes of the opening half against the Lady Indians, as MCC (1-0) scored a 10-0 victory in its season opener. MCC's men's team (1-0) won its opener 3-0 over ICC (0-1).
Megan Morie and Emily Howard tallied four goals each in MCC's rout of ICC (0-1), and Christi Dorough and Ashley Spears each tallied a goal.
Dorough opened the scoring in the match's 12th minute, helping to bring life into a sluggish Lady Eagle squad.
The midfielder from Tupelo scored off a free kick 30 yards from the goal with a shot that tipped off the top of ICC goalkeeper Stefanie Yielding's fingers.
Dorough set up MCC's second goal of the game 26 minutes later, finding Howard inside ICC's goal box with a through pass. Howard punched the ball in for a 2-0 lead at the game's 32-minute mark.
Morie tallied the Lady Eagles' next three goals for a natural hat trick three consecutive goals by the same player.
The Pascagoula product scored off a give-and-go pass with Dorough in the 35th minute, snapped off a goal from in ICC's goal box in the 39th minute and scored after stealing a clearing attempt in the 41st minute to give MCC a 5-0 lead.
Howard wrapped up the scoring in the first half with 1:25 to play. The Clarkdale product picked off a Lady Indians' goal kick, slipping past a defender and booting the ball into the left side of the net for a 6-0 advantage at halftime.
Howard completed her hat trick at the game's 71-minute mark scoring off a crossing pass by Candace Andrews for a 7-0 lead in the second half.
Morie tallied her fourth goal of the game in the 74th minute, and Spears gave MCC a 9-0 lead with a goal off a cross from Howard in at the 80-minute mark.
Howard wrapped up the scoring with 6:57 to play in the match, knocking in her fourth goal by banking the ball off the inside of the left goalpost.
MCC (men) 3
ICC 0
Eagles forward Steven Cook took the wind out of the charging Indians scoring MCC's third goal in the game's 67th minute.
ICC, which trailed 2-0 at the break, dominated the opening 20 minutes of the second half, but Cook was able to subdue the opposition scoring off a crossing pass from Alejandro Alvarado, who played a part in all three MCC goals.
A minute after the Eagles' third goal, MCC goalkeeper Justin Clearman made sure the shutout stood up making a diving save to his right off a volley shot.
Alvarado netted the first goal for the Eagles at the nine-minute mark, scoring a bouncing ball from the middle of the goal box.
Alvarado set up the second goal of the game with a one-touch pass to Travis Brown, who buried a shot into the left side of the net from the right wing in the game's 29th minute.
MCC's men's squad continues the season against Wallace-Hanceville at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the road, and both MCC soccer teams are in action against Northwest Mississippi Community College on Thursday on the road.