Dyersburg egdes past Westview, wins district

After running through its first six district opponents, the DHS Lady Trojan soccer team faced one final test on Thursday to remain undefeated and earn a regular-season District 14 A-AA title.

The opponent was Westview and the game, played in Martin, served as a test of nerves for the Dyersburg squad. Though the squad may not have played its best game of the year, an early goal from standout Emma Caylor proved to be more than enough.

The Lady Trojans secured the title with a 1-0 victory over the Lady Chargers, much to the delight, and relief of coach Joy Norman.

"The girls were really tight today, and I think they're still shaking right now. We did what we had to do to win and I'm just extremely proud of all of them right now," said a beaming Norman afterward.

The contest was physical from start to finish, with Westview trying feverously to keep Caylor idle with often rough and physical play, something Norman expected.

"Normally, they (Westview) play Cayla that way before she scores because they know who she is, but we knew this was going to be a tough one all the way around," added Norman.

The lone goal of the contest came with 24:37 left in the first half when Caylor took possession and sprinted down the right side of the field. After driving into Westview territory, Caylor connected on a swift kick that squirted by the Westview goalkeeper and into the left side of the net.

The remainder of the first half, Dyersburg had several opportunities to add to its total but was unable to capitalize.

"We really should have had two or three more goals, but we didn't get them. Usually we take advantage when we have the opportunity, but today we missed some easy chances."

Though the Lady Chargers were, for the most part, kept at bay from posing a serious threat offensively by the Dyersburg defense, goalkeeper Shelby Hubbard had an outstanding game. Though Westview challenged five times on goal, Hubbard held firm.

The Lady Chargers appeared to have their first goal minutes into the second half before Hubbard came up with a huge save to preserve the 1-0 lead. With the clock winding down in the final half, Westview looked to knot the score with eight minutes to play. Fortunately for the Lady Trojans, a save from Hubbard and a fantastic defensive play from the lone senior on the squad, Katie Taylor, kept the ball out of the net.

When the final whistle blew, the Lady Trojans showed that yes, even though they may not have played their best, the squad still played well enough to end the season with a perfect 7-0 district slate and earn the right to be called district champs.

"I'm just so proud of all of them, I really am. Even though we won 1-0 and I would have liked to have scored a couple more goals today, I'll take it to be No.1 in the district," said Norman.

The Lady Trojans will end the regular season on Monday when the squad hosts Munford at DMS beginning at 6 p.m.