THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Inola High School Athletics

Perhaps no other 1-0 victory has ever been as dominate. Senior midfielder Allee Branchcomb scored the game’s only goal in the 62nd minute, powering Oologah past Inola in the opening round play of the girl’s Class 4A state soccer playoffs Friday at Mustang Stadium. The Lady Longhorns never came close to scoring, were outshot on goal 12-0, and succumbed to Oologah’s ball control and defensive prowess. The Lady Mustangs improved to 14-2 by winning their 12th consecutive game. “We had control of the ball the whole time,’’ Oologah coach Carmen Hill told her players after the final horn. Later, Hill praised the Mustangs’ overall play. “We have a good midfield and forwards,’’ she told a listener. “Our defense was very strong and did a good job. We’ve had eight shutouts this season and I’m proud of all of them (her players).’’ Branchcomb latched onto the momentum in the final 30 minutes. She scored from 20 yards out front, placing the ball past diving goalkeeper Sarah McCormick and into the back of the net. In the 51st minute, Branchcomb received a pass from Madi Jones in the box, but sent a dribbling shot wide right past McCormick. In minute 56, she fired a hard 20-yard bullet toward McCormick that caught the senior in the mid-section for a save. Hill said it’s usually Madi Jones who scores goals in bunches for the Mustangs. Early on, it appeared that Jones would break loose as she struck the left upright in the first minute following a pass from Sarah Kohler. In the third minute, Jones bounced a 12-yard attempt off the crossbar. “Tonight I don’t know if we had the jitters or were nervous,’’ said Hill. “We were not finding the net when we needed to. We’re going to work on that next week in practice. We’ve got to focus on finding the net.’’ With Madi Jones taking more of a playmaker role, Oologah kept constant offensive pressure on Inola. Sophomore Sydney Jones, Madi’s sister, came close to scoring in the 17th minute. Her blast from 30 yards out struck the base of the left goalpost and skittered away. In the 61st minute, Sydney ricocheted a ball off the right post from eight yards. “Next week we will play a two or three (seed) instead of a four,’’ Hill said. “We’ve got to score and play as a team. We couldn’t punch in the goals tonight, but we still won 1-0. I’ll take it.’’

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Inola High School Athletics

OOLOGAH GIRLS OUST INOLA WITH 1-0 PLAYOFF WIN

GLENN HIBDON

The Claremore Daily Progress | 4/27/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Inola High School Athletics