RUSSELL —
East Carter just keeps finding ways to win.
On Tuesday night the Raiders used defense and a key goal with seven minutes to go in the first half to take a 1-0 win against Russell. East Carter freshman Taylor Burnett scored the only goal of the game which saw the physicality increase as the game wore on.
East Carter coach Ben Fritz said that was just two teams who put it all on the line to get a win.
“Both teams wanted to win tonight,” he said. “ That’s two teams that really want to win and have played a lot of soccer against each other.”
With the win East Carter is now 7-0-1 and is the only unbeaten local team. While still being superstitious about it, Raiders’ coach Ben Fritz is not hesitant in praising his team.
“I don’t want to jynx us, but we played well,” Fritz said. “We get timely goals like we did tonight and we’ve played well this year so far.”
While timely goals have been important for East Carter, the Raiders have also shined on the defensive end. Russell had six opportunities inside the East Carter goalie box, but were unable to come up with just one shot.
Not many teams have had those chances against the Raiders, who have only allowed two goals in seven games while scoring 38. Fritz said with his team defense is the calling card.
“We’re defending really well right now,” he said. “I feel our defense is going to be a staple for the rest of the year.”
But while East Carter’s defense was tough, Russell also helped by missing open opportunities. One particular instance was Jennifer Sloan, who had a chance for a breakaway goal, but the kick sailed high.
With Russell missing opportunities and East Carter playing stifling defense the game turned more physical in the second half, including yellow cards for both teams.
Frtiz said that with the physicality it’s like that when you play a team the caliber of Russell.
“Russell is a really good team and well coached,” he said. “It’s good to come out and get a win, but it’s great to come out and get a win against a district opponent.”
With the loss, Russell falls to 3-4-2 on the year. But while the record may not reflect it, Russell has been in every game this year and is still considered one of the top teams in the area.
And with East Carter they know the name on the front of the jersey is just as important as records.
“I think its good for our girls to finally get a win against Russell. I don’t know if they ever had that chance or that feeling,” Fritz said. “You have to play that laundry, that Russell name. That’s something we had to overcome.”
Russell coach Joe Grizzle declined comment.
KYLE HOBSTETTER can be reached at khobstetter@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2658.
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East Carter slips past Russell, 1-0
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