CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The West Creek High girls’ soccer team took a short trip to Kirkwood High School for an inner-city matchup with the Cobras on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The contest was physical and went back and forth between both teams. However, neither team was able to find the back of the net, so the game ended as a scoreless draw.
Early on, the Cobras possessed the ball for most of the first half but weren’t able to do much offensively due to the play of West Creek’s defensive backline led by captain Kinleigh Lewis and goalie Ainsley Bragg. Coyotes head coach Craig Nakutis was complementary of his back line and the way they performed.
“I can’t talk about enough about them tonight,” Nakutis told Clarksville Now. “This was our first real task against a local team, and Kelley (Guth) has them playing really well. All of our girls are playing well, and a lot of them are new starters. They’re learning how to play the game, to mesh together, and they’re doing well.”
Kirkwood High’s defensive capability was also on full display on the night, led by the Cobras goalie, Jayda Rhodes, who pitched a shutout as well. While the game did end in a tie, Kirkwood head coach Kelley Guth says this game is an inspiring measuring stick, and a symbol of how far this program has come in just a year.
“In our first or second game last year we played West Creek and they mercy ruled us,” Guth said. “For me, seeing that turnaround in our program, to compete with a team that was much better than us last year, I’m proud of the girls. They are really showing progress and improvement, and that’s what we’re striving for.”