NATCHEZ &045; What rebuilding year?

The Cathedral Green Wave soccer team came into the season with some doubts after losing seven key starters from a season ago, but the team got into the playoffs and for the seventh straight year and finished the regular season on a solid note &045; a 3-2 win in a shootout over Class 4A McComb.

The Green Wave will travel to Mercy Cross Tuesday in the first round of the Class 3A-2A-1A playoffs.

&uot;I really liked the way the team finished up real strong in the regular season,&uot; CHS head coach Rick Freeman said. &uot;We’re going to the playoffs on a positive note. We’re looking forward to our first playoff game.&uot;

The green Wave (5-3, 9-8) had to finish the game strong in order to come out on top after the Tigers took a 2-0 lead. But the Green Wave got goals from Will Carter with 26 minutes left after a scramble in front of the goal and another from Cory Brock on a penalty kick with five minutes left.

The game was tied at the end of regulation, and McComb’s Mark Mathis &045; who accounted for both his team’s goals &045; missed the first try before Brock converted for Cathedral.

The next three rotations both teams put theirs in &045; Blake Causey, Philip Terrell and Stuart Able for McComb and Scott Pollard, Pete Burns and Andy Taunton for the Green Wave.

On the final shot, the Tigers missed when keeper Chase Lauckhuff blocked a shot from Dustin Stiles to seal it.

The Green Wave out-shot McComb 21-12, and Lauckhuff notched seven saves.

McComb girls 3, CHS 1

The Lady Wave (5-3, 6-9) played better defensively against the Class 4A visitors but got only one goal when Brittany Funderburg converted a penalty kick with 36 minutes left in the second half that cut the lead to 2-1.

McComb’s Kim Cutrer put one shot just over the hands of keeper Abby Brown for the first goal with 15 minutes left in the first half, and Cutrer scored again with three minutes left in the half.

The Lady Tigers scored again with one minute left in the game on a goal from Niara Crimiel.

McComb out-shot Cathedral 17-8. Brown had seven saves.

The Lady Wave will play at defending state champion Our Lady Academy Tuesday in its first postseason appearance in school history.