GIRLS' SOCCER: CBA's Spier notches 4 goals

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on March 24, 2017 9:59 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock head girls' soccer coach Byron Adkins has a defense full of eyasses.

That's the scientific term used for baby falcons. It also serves as an appropriate definition for the youth in CBA's backline.

Though recently, those eyasses have played more like full-fledged Golden Falcons, and that continued Thursday night in a 4-1 victory over Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference rival South Central.

The Golden Falcons' defense only allowed three shots and one corner kick. The performance came on the heels of a 1-0 loss to D.H. Conley -- a team that beat them 9-0 two different times last season.

"The defense has played really well," Adkins said. "We're really young across the back...they're learning, they're talking to each other and communicating. It's getting better game by game."

Through seven games this year, CBA is allowing 1.14 goals per game and has posted two shutouts. The team allowed two goals per game at this point last season.

The primary players in that novice backline include sophomores Morgan Casey, Mackenzie Jones, Savannah Strickland and freshman Brylee Sauls. McKenzie Norris, the starting goalkeeper, is also a sophomore.

Most of their day was spent rejecting every fast-break opportunity for South Central. The Golden Falcons didn't allow South Central to attempt its first shot until the 24th minute.

Of course, coaching a young team has come with its difficulties.

Adkins said teaching is usually the most tricky part.

"I guess it's like any other sport," Adkins said. "You just have to teach fundamentals. And you have to keep going over the fundamentals until they finally understand what the fundamentals are."

The stellar defensive effort led to plenty of offensive opportunities.

The Golden Falcons registered over 20 shots and tallied three corner kicks. Sophomore Hannah Spier -- who returned after injuring her ankle in the first half -- scored all four goals. She now has 16 goals on the year.

Sophomore Lauren Smith assisted twice while freshman Lydia Butler and senior Alicia Stanton each had one assist.

Adkins expects a big jump when all of the freshmen and sophomores become sophomores and juniors next year. But for right now, he likes how the team has progressed this season.

"It's nice to see us moving in a forward motion," Adkins said. "It's nice to see us not making the same mistakes that we made earlier on in the season, which allowed the goals...It's just repetitive. They just have to keep doing the right thing every game."