Leading into Friday’s matchup with Sacred Heart, Petal was finding the back of the net an average of five times per match this season. Not only were the Panthers limited to zero times Friday, but they were also held to just a single shot on goal. The Crusaders took advantage and connected on two of their 11 shots, picking up a 2-0 win over the previously unbeaten Panthers (8-1).
“Every win’s a good win, every win gives you a little bit of momentum,” Sacred Heart coach Joe Falla Jr. said. “I think that’s what they [Petal] had working for them. They had a little momentum being undefeated, but we’ve been playing some good soccer.”
Sacred Heart improved to 4-1-2 with the victory. After playing two 6A, two 5A and three 4A teams the first month of the season, the Crusaders will open district play battle-tested next Monday at St. Patrick.
“The record doesn’t matter to me, it never has,” Falla said. “We’re just trying to get prepared for district play and hopefully make a playoff run. That’s the reason for lining up the big schools and testing ourselves mentally and physically.”
More often than not, they’ve passed those tests. That was for sure the case Friday against Petal.
Midway through the first half, Seaton Hixson found the back of the net and gave Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead. The Panthers were limited to zero shots on goal the first 40 minutes.
“We just played soccer, man,” Falla explained. “I saw what they [Petal] were doing. They packed everybody in and put 10 men behind the ball and hoped for a counter. We just kept pumping it in and doing what we do.”
The Crusaders took their one-goal lead into the half. In retrospect, it could’ve been a lot more had it not been for several impressive saves from Panther goalkeeper Jacob Russell.
“They had a couple opportunities, but we couldn’t buy one ourselves,” Falla added. “Their keeper played one heckuva game and made some great saves. We hit some off the bar, and we need to be there to collect them.”
In the second half, Petal began to put some extended possessions together in an attempt to tie the game, but Sacred Heart put it away late with a scorpion kick goal from Carson Hall, who Falla called a ‘gnat’.
“He [Hall] has a lot of energy, and that’s what you need sometimes to be successful, having somebody that will scrap and be a pest,” Falla said. “That’s the result, a scorpion kick. That’s Carson Hall.
“We’re a scrappy team, nothing pretty about us. We love to play, and we’re gonna have a good time. That’s for sure.”
Next Up
Sacred Heart will travel to St. Patrick Monday, and Petal will travel to George County Tuesday.
