By Mark Carpenter –
The winning ways continued on Friday, Sept. 28 for Coach Dave D’Avignon and his North Adams Lady Devils varsity soccer squad as they hosted the West Union Lady Dragons in the annual “Kicks For The Cure” game, this year being played in memory of the late Samantha Jameson, whose parents and husband were in attendance. Playing for a good cause, the Lady Devils extended their winning streak to seven games as they handled the Lady Dragons to the tune of an 8-1 victory.
The North Adams win was keyed one again by the goal scoring ability of sophomore Karissa Buttelwerth, who found the net four times before Coach D’Avignon removed her from the game, giving her a team-leading 25 for the season.
Buttelwerth got the scoring started nine minutes in, taking a pass from Morgan Shupert and beating the West Union keeper, and just six minutes later it was 2-0 when Buttelwerth added an assist, dishing a centering pass to freshman Ainsley Grooms who shot it home. At the 19:07 mark of the first half, the Lady Dragons got their only goal of the game when senior Heidi Hunter juked out three defenders and scored between the keeper and the right post.
The Lady Devils got goals again from Buttelwerth and Grooms and went to the halftime intermission with a 4-1 advantage.
At the 26:27 mark of the second half, it was Buttelwerth grabbing a rebound off the crossbar and knocking it home, followed just two minutes later by a Taylor Staggs assist resulting in a Breanna Piatt goal and a 6-1 North Adams lead. It was Buttelwerth once more with 10 minutes to play and then the final goal of the game was memorable for one young lady as Lady Devils’ freshman Kaylee Tumbleson scored her first varsity goal, accounting for the 8-1 final.
“Our girls played another good game as we prepare for a showdown with Peebles,” said Coach D’Avignon. “But tonight was for us and West Union to work together to raise money for the family of a very special young lady. It was a testament to how sports can bring people together.”
The Lady Devils were back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 2, hosting Ironton St. Joseph in non-conference play and making it eight wins in a row by downing the Lady Flyers by a final score of 4-0.
For the first time in 11 games, Buttelwerth was held scoreless but her teammates picked up the slack in topping the now 9-4 St. Joseph squad. All of the scoring came in the first half and it began at the 30:07 mark when a Braylie Jones corner kick went to Piatt, who passed it back to Figgins, who blasted one into the net from about 20 yards away.
The Figgins goal turned out to be all the Lady Devils needed, but they added three more for good measure. With 26:31 left in the first half, a crossing pass from Staggs to Grooms resulted in a 2-0 North Adams advantage. At the 5:41 mark, sophomore Brianna Robinson recorded her first high school goal, heading in another Jones corner kick to make it 3-0. The final goal of the first half and the game came at the 1:52 mark, Grooms again, winning a Figgins throw-in and firing one into the left side of the net to account for the 4-0 final score.
“The girls weren’t flashy today,” said Coach D’Avignon. “They just played a good, solid game against a good team. It looks like good old reliable Braylie Jones has gotten her corner kick down pat, we got half our goals today as a result of her kicks.”
The win improved the Lady Devils to 9-4 on the season, with a big SHAC match up coming Friday, Oct. 5 at Peebles.
