Marriotts Ridge sophomore Katie Thompson was determined to give her seniors a win on Senior Night. So when Glenelg tied the game at one midway through the second half on Thursday, Thompson didn't waste any time earning the Mustangs back the lead.
Thompson quickly got the ball following the re-start whistle, worked her way down field and buried her shot past Gladiators goalkeeper Alyssa Henderson – ultimately clinching Marriotts Ridge the, 2-1, victory.
"It means so much to me and the rest of my teammates," Thompson said. "Because Victoria [Hensh] and I up top worked really hard together for Cassie [Evans], even Bri [Held] who can't play, Emma [Woodbury], Mirela [Olivera-Balestino] even, who has a concussion – and it means a lot, because they work really hard on and off the field to show us what it means to be a leader."
The Mustangs went into the matchup against Glenelg with a three-game losing skid, and had gone winless in their last five games. They were adamant in putting an end to both of those streaks, especially in their last home game of the season.
"It's good to get the win because they worked so hard this season and our record doesn't necessarily show how hard our team has worked and how close all the games have been, so it's nice to have a win," said Marriotts Ridge coach Karen Peksa. "We kind of talked this past week about what's our focus moving forward to get a win and the girls decided that playing as a team and picking up the intensity, working and keeping possession was what they wanted to focus on and I think they showed that this game. They put the ball in the net and we came out on top."