BEDFORD – Jeffersonville fought off Bedford North Lawrence’s fierce second-half rally to record a 6-4 victory during girls high school soccer action on Saturday.
The Red Devils (6-5 overall, 2-1 in the Hoosier Hills Conference) blasted to a 5-1 lead at halftime, then had to score a late insurance goal to escape with a win after the Stars (1-9, 0-6) battled back within a one-goal deficit.
“With the odds against us, I am proud of them for staying tough and hanging in there,” BNL coach Bret Roberts said. “We figured out how to score on them in the second half by sending the ball from the outside to the middle. Once we figured that out, we capitalized on it.”
Jeffersonville’s Scarlett McRae recorded four goals, all in the first half. She got started at 27:20, and Laela Rudicel made it 2-0 at 26:09. The Devils made it three goals in three-plus minutes when McRae struck again at 23:52.
Sophie Jackson got BNL on the board at 16:24, but McRae finished her hat trick with two more (13:36 and 6:10) for the four-goal lead at intermission.
The Stars came roaring back. Summer Hughes converted a Rose Dusard pass at 21:40 in the second half, and Dusard made it 5-3 with a score at 18:15. Jayella Filler slashed the lead to 5-4 with a goal at 12:38 (via a Leah Wagner assist), but the Devils pulled away with Rudicel’s second goal with 2:29 left.
“It is not easy to come back from a deficit, especially in these conditions,” Roberts said. “The girls played with a lot of heart today, and I’m proud of them for that.”
BNL will visit Salem on Tuesday.
