CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood Cobras traveled to Northwest High for an inner-city soccer matchup Tuesday on the pitch with the Vikings. The Cobras celebrated head coach Kelley Guth’s birthday with a win, 3-0.

The Cobras came out on fire, scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes to take control of the match. Ellie Shires netted a goal in the corner in the third minute, and Emery Drew added on with a goal of her own in the 10th. Both defenses tightened up after that, and that was all the scoring for the first half.

“We came out fast and strong,” Guth said. “We didn’t possess the ball well the rest of the first half, but our defenders did a great job as they’ve done all season. It’s not just about winning the ball, it’s about keeping that possession after you win it, so we don’t have to defend so much, and we did a decent job of that tonight.”

The second half was relatively quiet scoring-wise, with the only goal coming from Hadasa Escobar on a penalty kick to extend the Cobra lead to 3. A shutout from Kirkwood goalie Jayda Rhodes powered the Cobras to win this one fairly comfortably in the second half, but not without fight from the Vikings for 80 minutes.

“We’ve sustained a lot of injuries, and that’s hurt us,” said Northwest head coach Richard Frost. “Really proud of our girls in the second half for the fight they showed, but it’s tough when we’re down a few players. We’ve had some girls step up in positions, so we will go back and watch film to see our errors, and continue to get better towards the end of the season when it matters.”

As for Kirkwood, they’re an extremely young squad, with seven freshman starters. While their youth may hurt them at points, it also causes the squad to get better at an exponential rate, and Guth has big expectations for this year’s squad.

“We’ve still got a room to grow, but we’re taking positive steps every time we’re on the pitch,” said Guth. “We’re learning this thing as we go, and the ultimate goal right now is to play our best soccer at the end of the season. I’m happy with where we are, but not satisfied.”

| MORE LOCAL SPORTS: Sign up for the free daily Clarksville Now email newsletter