On a cold night, Kosciusko boys’ and girls’ soccer teams suffered close losses to West Lauderdale after both teams took early leads. The Whippets lost a penalty kick shootout after regulation time and overtime ended 1-1 and the Lady Whippets were edged 3-2.
“Tough night,” said Coach Greg Cooper. “Boys just didn't finish the opportunities we had. But overall a good game.”
The Whippets took a 1-0 lead when Thomas Sims converted a pass from Jon Gant. West Lauderdale tied the game before halftime, converting off a free kick.
In the shootout, Gant scored, but Kosciusko's next two attempts failed, and West Lauderdale converted four in a row for the victory.
The loss likely ended the Whippets' chances of reaching the MHSAA playoffs. Kosciusko is 3-3 in Region 4-4A competition, trailing Newton County 5-0 and West Lauderdale 5-1. The top two qualify for the playoffs.
The Lady Whippets also took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Mary Patton Henderson, with an assist from Savannah Fulgham. After three goals by West Lauderdale, Kosciusko cut the deficit to 3-2 when Raven Pernell assisted on a goal by Lanna Nunley.
Despite the loss, Cooper said the Lady Whippets played a good game. It was a marked improvement from a 6-0 loss to West Lauderdale December 9.
Kosciusko is 2-4 in region play. West Lauderdale leads the region at 6-0 and is the state's fourth-ranked 4A team according to the website MaxPreps.
Kosciusko plays at Choctaw Central in region games Thursday and has home non-region games with Yazoo County Saturday. In games against Choctaw Central a month ago, the Whippets won 7-0, but the Lady Whippets were defeated 5-1.
