The soccer nets are cleared away as the Lady Dragon soccer team closes out its 2023 season.  The MHS team had a strong season and good showing at the 3A District 5 tournament, followed by a winning finish at the consolation 2A Invitational Tournament.

Malad began their tournament play taking on the Aberdeen Tigers on October 3.  In their Saturday afternoon game, the Lady Dragons did well to control the game from the start, scoring four of their five goals in the opening half.  The offense worked well to find several shooting opportunities, converting them to points on the scoreboard.  Scoring for the Lady Dragons were Azure Ashby, Joni Beck, Bayli Nesbit, Emmy Coatney, and Halie Palmer.

The defense did equally as well, keeping the ball from Aberdeen’s offense and giving them even few chances to shoot.  Throughout the game, the Tigers only had four shots at a goal but goalkeepers Aubrey Shulz and Rilee Neilson protected their nets well and didn’t let a single shot in.  With a final score of 5-0, the Lady Dragons advanced on to the quarterfinals match against number one seed Marsh Valley on Thursday, October 5.

 Marsh Valley, the tournament host and a team who went undefeated in their conference games throughout the regular season, came out strong in their opening match of the tournament and gave the Lady Dragons a challenging team to come up against.  At the nets, Schulz and Neilson had their work cut out for them to stop the attempted goals coming at them.  In total, they were able to save twenty shots while allowing eight goals.  The Marsh Valley defense played exceptionally well, allowing few shooting opportunities for Malad, where they ultimately were unable to connect with the net and ended the game scoreless.

Following the loss against Marsh Valley in the double elimination tournament, the Lady Dragons went up against the Snake River Panthers on Saturday, October 7.  The game was a true contest between the equally matched teams with nearly as many shots attempted and saved on each end of the field.  The Lady Dragons played an intense and aggressive game, keeping the pressure on the Panthers until the very last whistle blew.  As the game came to an end, Snake River pulled ahead by a single goal, winning 2-1.  Freshman Kaycee Veneble scored the single goal for the Lady Dragons with Beck, Kencie Miller, Alivia Waldron, Nesbit and Coatney finding shooting opportunities.

Head coach Shenell Clark shared about the district games, saying, “It was a good district tournament.  In our last game against Snake River, the girls left everything out on the field.  It was a close game and I was proud of each of them and their heart to fight for a win.”

The Lady Dragons finish their season with a final unsanctioned 2A consolation tournament where they first defeated Grangeville and then Firth.  In their game against the Cougars, the game went into penalty kicks after ending both the regular time and overtime tied.  The Lady Dragons came out of the shootout the victor, scoring three goals to Firth’s two to make them tournament champions and ending their season on a high.