The Lady Trojan soccer team traveled to Live Oak to play a heated rivalry match with the Bulldogs. Hamilton has never beaten their neighboring county and it usually is a lopsided affair, but not this night. The Lady Trojans stepped on the field and challenged the Suwannee in every aspect of the game. “We decided to play a defensive game and be very aggressive attacking the ball or player” said Coach Chris Byrd. He continued “We wanted to counter attack using our speed up front with Megan Snipes and Rekiesha Edwards but we had to protect our goal first.”

The Bulldogs had a total of 9 shots on goal in the first half. Hamilton goalie Blake Daniels made 7 saves in the first half and was in complete control of the goalie box. Hamilton kept the game scoreless until 6:33 left in the first half. Suwannee took a shot that deflected off of a Hamilton defender resulting in a corner kick. Suwannee kicked the ball into the goalie box where Daniels jumped to get the ball with a Lady Bulldog on her back. The ball hit Daniels hands and bounced toward our goal. Daniels, diving to get the ball was pushed into the side goalpost rocking the whole goal as the ball hit the back of the net. The referee allowed the goal to stand as Hamilton’s coaches and fans erupted with dismay. The referee indicated the ball crossed the goal line before the Suwannee player got tangled with Daniels. Daniels injured her ribs on the play but was able to continue in goal. The half ended with Suwannee leading 1-0.

Hamilton received a spirited halftime talk from their coaches who urged the girls to play tough. Volunteer Coach Rueban Perez stated “Suwannee was playing very physical and we needed our girls to play in the same fashion.” The Lady Trojans started the second half pushing the ball forward. Hamilton had a couple of shots early by Snipes but was wide of the goal. Hamilton’s halfbacks, Shana Campbell, Ashley Crone and Jennifer Portillo were doing a better job controlling the ball. However, an errand pass was intercepted by a Suwannee player who dribbled the ball toward the goal and shot. The ball slipped by Daniels on the right post. Suwannee was up 2-0 with 34:17 left in the game. Hamilton made some offensive adjustments with nothing to lose. Angela Wilson was moved to a left forward position to help create more opportunities. “Our defense was pretty solid with Ali Kennedy as sweeper, so we thought we could get back into the game” stated Assistant Coach Candido Perez.

The move paid off 8 minutes later when Wilson was on the receiving end of a corner kick from Snipes. The ball slipped past several defenders and Wilson hammered the ball past Suwannee’s goalie, Kelsey Curls, from 12 yards out. Hamilton was back in it. It was a see-saw battle for the next 17 minutes with both teams having scoring opportunities. Hamilton’s best opportunity was the result of a hard foul on Emily Carter. Carter received a pass from Brooke Ross and made a nice move to get past one of their players. Carter then attempted to pass the ball forward when she was hit from behind and knocked to the ground. Campbell took the free kick 35 yards from Suwannee’s goal. The ball cleared the defenders as Edwards and Snipes rushed to take the pass. Suwannee’s goalie, Curls, came off of her line and dove forward to keep Hamilton from the tying goal.

Suwannee secured the victory when they received a penalty kick for a foul inside of Hamilton’s goalie box. “We were trying to clear the ball out of our end and we knocked down one of their players in the process” said Coach Byrd. Suwannee scored with 9:12 left in the game. “We played very well tonight and I am very proud of the girls” stated Coach Byrd. He continued “I also want to thank our parents, students and fans for coming out to support us.” Hamilton had twice as many fans in the stands than Suwannee did at their field.

The Lady Trojans record is 1-3. Hamilton’s game at Lake City was canceled on 11/25. At press time, it was unknown if the Lake City game will be forfeited or re-scheduled at a later date. The Lady Trojans next game is at Fort White on Friday, Dec. 5. Please come out to support your Lady Trojans. (Photos by jaychambliss.com)