NATCHEZ &045; It took a little time, but the Lady Vikings got their offense on track Friday morning against Natchez High.

Warren Central beat the Lady Bulldogs 11-0, the same score from the team’s game earlier this season in Division 6-5A action.

&uot;We were a lot better this time, particularly in the first half,&uot; Natchez coach Lena Yarborough said.

The Bulldogs did indeed look better in the first half, holding the Lady Vikings to just one goal in the first 36 minutes of the game, a rebound that was put in by Brooke Nevels.

&uot;We came out a little flat after two weeks off,&uot; Warren Central coach Kristin Chapman Gough said. &uot;That’s tough on any team.&uot;

In a four-minute burst to end the first half, Warren Central’s Mary Clare Scurria had three goals, effectively giving Warren Central the win despite the amount of time left to play.

Scurria’s first goal came in the 37th minute when she fired a shot from just inside the penalty box past Natchez goalkeeper Tracy Davis, putting the Lady Vikings up 2-0. She followed that up when she scored two minutes later off a misplayed clearance by the Natchez defense.

Her final goal, which gave the Lady Vikings a 4-0 lead, was probably the most impressive of the day. Scurria jumped up to head home a corner kick from Chelsa Jones just seconds before the first half ended.

The first half could have been worse for the Lady Bulldogs. Natchez goalkeeper Tracy Davis saved a number of shots, and many of Warren Central’s shots went wide or high, particularly in the first half.

In the second half, the Lady Vikings continued the onslaught. The Natchez defense held off several good chances. Natchez’ Rebecca Davis cleared a ball off the goal line to save a goal.

But Warren Central was not to be denied. Megan Woleben scored on a ball that was bouncing around the penalty area in the 59th minute, starting a run of four Lady Viking goals in nine minutes.

Kara Cretsinger struck next with a shot from long distance in the 63rd minute, then Kari Lieberman scored off an assist from Dana Warnock in the 66th minute. Two minutes later Lieberman assisted Nevels to give the Lady Vikings an 8-0 lead with 12 minutes left to go.

&uot;I think they got a little discouraged in the second half,&uot; Yarborough said. &uot;There isn’t much you can do from the sidelines to stop that, just keep encouraging them.&uot;

Warren Central’s Nevels wasn’t done yet. She scored the final two goals of the game in the waning minutes. The first was a bullet that went through Davis’ hands into the goal. Two minutes later, she fired a shot from about 30 yards out into the upper right corner.

Nevels had four goals in the game to lead all scorers.

Both teams put in most of their backups midway through the second half with the game out of reach. Warren Central didn’t even have its full compliment of players because of the game’s timing.

&uot;Actually, I’m missing six girls because of the holiday, but everybody got in and that was good for us,&uot; Gough said.

The Lady Bulldogs recorded only one shot in the game, a long-distance effort from midfielder Sarah Weaver in the 52nd minute that forced an easy save from Warren Central goalkeeper Emily Coker. The Lady Bulldogs barely made it past midfield in the first half and had only a few short attacks in the second half, none of which appeared to be very dangerous.

But for Natchez the final score didn’t tell the whole story. Despite the lopsided final, the Bulldogs showed considerable improvement from their first matchup with Warren Central, both coaches said.

&uot;Natchez, they played hard today,&uot; Gough said. &uot;They’ve really come a long way.&uot;

For Warren Central, the game was just business as usual. The Lady Vikings are one of the better teams in the state and showed that again against Natchez.

&uot;Warren Central is a great passing team,&uot; Yarborough said. &uot;They and Vicksburg are great teams. Soccer is what they live for up there. I’m proud of my girls for the effort they gave today.&uot;