Lexington soccer earns 1st state berth

LEXINGTON – Scoring against Sheffield has not come easily for West Tennessee teams this past week, and Lexington found that out quickly in the first half.

The Tigers got a lone goal in the second half, and that was all that was needed as Lexington beat the Knights 1-0 at the Lexington Soccer Complex on Saturday.

“We created some good opportunities in the first half,” Lexington coach Kirk Childers said. “Jace [Vestal] had some chances but couldn’t put them in. Sheffield played some tight lines and made things tough on us.

“Our over-the-top was working, but we just had to execute. I told them at halftime that we have seen what they can do, and they hadn’t threatened us, so we just had to get one.”

Lexington (17-2-1) advances to the Class A-AA state tournament next week at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro for the first time in school history.

Madison, Jackson Christian and Lexington have battled to 0-0 halftime draws with Sheffield this week as the Knights stayed well organized in the back along with some big saves from Abdoulaye Thiam.

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The Tigers created chances in the first half with three of them resulting in shots on goal, but they couldn’t get a lead.

But five minutes into the second half, Lexington got the goal it was looking for as Tristan Lowery played a through ball to senior Jace Vestal, who scored for the 1-0 lead.

“We kept playing long balls, and they figured it out,” Vestal said. “We played a through ball to feet, and we connected for the goal.”

Lexington created more chances throughout the second half, but again, the Tigers couldn’t get that second goal.

“We had momentum coming out of the second half, but we just had to keep creating shots,” Vestal said. “It feels awesome to get to state.”

The Lexington defense didn’s allow Sheffield to have many chances to score, but with three minutes until the end of regulation, the Knights had an opportunity to tie the match.

With a 45-yard shot, Sheffield came inches away from its first goal when the ball deflected off the crossbar and into the hands of Lexington goalkeeper Ryan Courtright.

“The boys were excited for this game, but it was tough to score,” Childers said. “We created opportunities but didn’t shoot the ball.”

The Tigers have come close to earning trips to the state tournament over the last five years, but they have’t pulled out the win, including the loss on the road to Sheffield in sectionals last season.

Michael Odom, 425-9754