Corinth Holders girls soccer gets road win at Fike

While there was little doubt of the better side Friday night, the girls soccer match between Corinth Holders and Fike still went down to the final moments.

The Pirates dominated possession and were much more dangerous in a 2-1 win over the host Golden Demons.

Corinth Holders evened its season record at 3-3, while Fike fell to 3-3-2.

The Pirates broke through in the 21st minute as Erica Boswell headed in a corner kick by Grace Farmer to grab the early lead.

“They like to practice those a lot,” Corinth Holders coach Alison Vetterl said.

Corinth Holders’ defenders snuffed out the Demons’ threats with relative ease until the 37th minute, when a defensive misplay, combined with a deflection by Fike’s Emilee Futrell, found its way into the net to knot the score at 1 shortly before intermission.

“I think we got away from our game plan a little bit,” Vetterl said. “Our game plan is basically not to play a kick-and-run type game. When we keep possession of the ball and play to the feet of each other, it gets the ball up the field a lot better.”

The Pirates continued its buildup in the second half, thanks in part to junior Carolina Solis. She scored the eventual match-winner in the 59th minute, taking a feed from Summer Mitchell. With Fike goalkeeper Jah’asia Pernell guarding the near post, Solis rolled the ball toward the far post and in for the final margin.

“Those are all the little things you practice that come into play in a game,” Vetterl said of the score. “A lot of times, we have a tendency to dribble a little too much around the 18(-yard line) and the 6(-yard line).”

The Demons didn’t go away quietly. Part of Corinth Holders’ increasing surge can be attributed to Fike’s adjustment to roll some players forward in an effort to create more offense of its own. In the match’s final seven minutes, free kicks by Futrell and Anne Elliott Taylor were turned away and a separate breakway opportunity by Futrell was not on target.

“I think it’s the most complete 80 minutes we’ve put together all year,” Fike coach Toni Varacchi said. “From front to back, we played well. We had opportunities.”

Corinth Holders enjoyed a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal and a 3-1 edge on corner kicks. Pernell finished with seven saves.

On Monday, Corinth Holders is scheduled to return to Wilson to face Hunt, while Fike is slated to host D.H. Conley.

This story was originally published March 17, 2017 at 11:15 PM with the headline "Corinth Holders girls soccer gets road win at Fike."