Ladycats outclaw Henderson for 3-0 victory
Pritchard earns hat trick

Lindsay Pritchard races toward the Henderson goal as the defense struggles to keep pace with her.

Playing an aggressive opponent on their own home field, the Whitehouse Ladycats came away from Henderson with a 3-0 win and a ticket to the next round of the playoffs.

Though head coach Brad Jones said his team could have played better, the Ladycats came to Henderson to win and blanked an opponent that started the year with 18 straight shutouts of their own before finishing 22-2-1 on the season.

For Whitehouse, the win was their 20th and advanced them to the regional seminfinals to face Rosenburg Lamar Consolidated Tuesday (see Section A for game review).

Against Henderson, the Ladycats struck first, taking a 1- 0 lead six minutes into the match when Lindsay Pritchard shot a hard ball into the back of the net on a cross from Candace Campsey.

Midway through the first half, Pritchard did the honors again on a penalty kick. The senior forward placed the ball just shy of the top of the bar, a placement almost impossible to save.

Photo/Charlotte Smith Whitehouse goalie Carly Page stops a close attempt.

Though the Lady Lions couldn't find the net, they did get more shots on goal than most Ladycat opponents, coming away with seven in the first half compared to Whitehouse's 15.

With a 2-0 lead, the Ladycats came out shooting in the second half.

"I would like to say it took some of the pressure off us," Jones said of scoring twice in the first 20 minutes. "Scoring early definitely helped us playing on their home field.

The Ladycats outfired Henderson 13 to six in the second half, though neither team hit the mark until last eight minutes of the game.

Pritchard earned the hat trick by lofting a 35-footer over the head of the Henderson goalie.

She threatened to score again in the final minute, outmanuevering two Lady Lion defenders and charging for the goal. The Henderson defense rallied, however, and with pressure closing Pritchard launched a long-distance shot that sailed wide of its mark.

"Sometimes you have games like that where your main scorer needs to step up and score. Fortunately we had her do that this game," said Jones, adding "our defense stepped up and did a great job."

Whitehouse goalie Carly Page earned her third post-season shutout, as Whitehouse has outscored playoff opponents 14-0.

"It was a sweet victory, the next step to state," said junior Campsey.

Elissa Parker, also a junior, who was injured during the game said, "It was so much fun! I am very, very happy about the win."

This is the second straight year that the Ladycats have advanced to the regional semifinals. Last year, Whitehouse lost to Friendswood after a suddendeath shootout.

This year's team has its sights set on state, however.

"It feels good to go as far as we did last year," said senior Cassandra Conova. "If we keep playing the way we have, we will definitely make it '08 to state!"

Photos/Charlotte Smith Elise Dollahite (above) fronts the Henderson forward as fellow defenders Kayla Mason and Carly Page offer back up. In the top photo, Mason clears a deep ball out of Whitehouse territory. At left, Kayla Zambrano battles with a Lady Lion for control of the ball. Photos/Charlotte Smith Midfielder Candace Campsey duels for ball control.