In a defensive battle, Terry Sanford's Maiya Parrous scored the game's only goal

Prior to Tuesday's showdown, Terry Sanford and Pine Forest allowed opponents a combined one goal this month.

In a game between the Patriot 4-A/3-A Conference’s top two defenses, a first-half goal was all the homestanding Bulldogs needed to take a 1-0 win and remain undefeated at 14-0 overall.

Terry Sanford (11-0 Patriot) put the pressure on early, earning a series of throw-ins and corner kicks within scoring range of the Trojan goal.

But the Bulldogs couldn’t capitalize on a set piece, with chance after chance cleared by the Pine Forest defense or scooped up by goalkeeper Desheryl Hill.

“I think Pine Forest was well-prepared for us,” forward Maiya Parrous said. “They’ve played us already this season, and they’re well-coached, so they know our strengths. They played to their advantages and packed it in (on defense) on us, and that made it hard to get our system of attack past them.”

It was a breakaway run by Parrous that resulted in the lone goal of the night. Parrous nicked the ball from an opponent near the midfield circle, turned and dribbled to inside the 18-yard box, then tucked the shot inside the near post.

The goal, scored with just under 15 minutes left in the first half, was enough for the Bulldogs to hold despite an uptick in attacks by the Trojans (11-5, 11-3) in the second half.

Pine Forest, able to disrupt Terry Sanford’s offensive efforts in the second period, won more possessions at midfield after the half and pushed the ball forward.

“Our players have been working on their communication a lot, so they hear less from me over here and they can organize themselves a little better,” Trojans’ coach Isaac Rancour said. “A lot of players that were still a little raw early in the season have grown a lot.”

Amari Taylor and Allysa Rancour both made runs, and the Trojans had their own corners and throw-ins near the goal, but the Terry Sanford back line handled the brunt and keeper Lindsay Bell provided key saves.

Sophomore defender Kara Walker said the Bulldogs adjusted to handle Pine Forest’s speedy attacking front, which was on display in the pair’s first meeting March 21.

“The first time we played them, they beat us a lot on through balls,” Walker said. “Coming into this game, we knew that we had to press in more and be tighter in the back line, so that we didn’t get beat as much. And when we did, there were people there to cover so they didn’t through.”







Goals: TS — Maiya Parrous

Assists: None

Records: Pine Forest 11-5, 11-3, Terry Sanford 14-0, 11-0