Mitchell vs Hendersonville

The Mountaineer soccer team fell to Hendersonville 5-0 on a soggy pitch in Ledger on Thursday.
Mitchell (2-9, 0-4) held the Bearcats scoreless until midway through the first half, and had a couple of chances to strike first. On their first touch, Nate Lipps took the ball all the way to box in front of Hendersonville's goal, but lost it when he got tripped up on the wet turf. At the 15-minute mark, Dillon Ledford had a decent shot on goal that was saved by the keeper.
"We played decently well. The first 10 or 15 minutes we came out really strong," Head Coach Dan McKinney said. 
Hendersonville opened the scoring with a goal 20 minutes in. They added another with eight minutes left before halftime, and took a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
It was a more competitive half than the Mountaineers have had in recent matches against the Bearcats. Mitchell lost both games last year by scores of 6-0 and 9-0.
"I was pleased with the first half. Our defense was strong," McKinney said. "I was really pleased with the way our midfield and defense played. The weakest part of the game was our offense. We had opportunities in the first half, but we struggled with making decent passes."
Mitchell's only scoring chance in the second half came on a 30-yard penalty shot by Lipps, denied by what McKinney said was an excellent save by the Hendersonville keeper.
The Bearcats scored three times in the final 40 minutes, and McKinney said his defense forced them to earn their chances. 
"They really had to work for their goals. Nothing came easy for them," he said. "It was good to see us tightening up and playing man-to-man coverage.
For the game, Hendersonville had a 19-5 advantage in shots on goal, and controlled the ball on Mitchell's half for about two-thirds of the contest.
Heavy rains last week washed the game at Mountain Heritage to this week, giving Mitchell three games in three nights - Madison at home on Monday, Mountain Heritage on Tuesday, and Avery at home on Wednesday.

Story by Corey Hoilman-Mitchell News Journal