By Patrick Murphy

NATCHEZ — Behind two second-half goals, the East Rankin Academy Lady Patriots defeated the Cathedral Lady Green Wave, 2-0, in the quarter-final round of the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools Division II soccer playoffs Tuesday night.

With 10 minutes into the second half, the Lady Patriots began to make their move. From 10 yards out, East Rankin senior Neely Brunt shot the ball and scored her team’s first goal of the game.

Then with approximately a minute left in the game, sophomore Mary Hayden Logan scored from about three yards from the goal. Lady Patriots head coach Steven Simmons said he thinks the Lady Patriots made scoring goal tough for themselves.

“I think the Green Wave knew we were going to come here and bring the game to them,” Simmons said. “Our girls seemed off with a little bit of nerves. Obviously getting the first goal deep in the second half seemed to calm everyone down and we played our game.”

In the game for the Lady Green Wave, goalie Rivers Lee had eight saves.

The Lady Patriots had an opportunity to score with a direct kick just outside the box with 8:32 left in the first half. All 10 lady Green Wave defenders stood in front of the goal, with Lee in the middle. The Lady Patriots attempted an indirect shot to the goal, which failed thanks to senior Faith Anne Brown, who thwarted East Rankin’s goal attempt.

“It felt really good to kick the ball away,” Brown said. “I think our team gained a lot of confidence. From then on, we played a lot better.”

The Lady Green Wave had four corner kicks in the game and at least five shots on goal.

“I don’t think I can be any happier,” Lady Green Wave coach Dennis Hogue said about his team’s effort Tuesday night. “We talked about it in the locker room. A team we never played, we knew they were strong and they beat teams who had beaten us. We were not the same team as we were back then at the beginning of the season. I told these girls to go out with confidence. They came out strong and I was super pleased with our girls.”

The Lady Patriots will move onto the semifinal round to face the winner of Brookhaven Academy versus Hartfield Academy.