Lady Tigers take 2nd at Rebel Cup

Staff Report
PINEVILLE — The Morgan City Lady Tigers finished second at the Rebel Cup this weekend.
Coach Trevor Patterson said the squad had just 13 girls available and no substitutions in three games.
“The Lady Tigers showed true determination,” Patterson said of his squad, which finished 3-2 during the weekend.
In the squad’s first game Friday morning, Morgan City dropped a 2-1 decision to Pineville, a Division 1 school.
The Lady Tigers took a 1-0 lead with a goal by Esther Vazques in the 15th minute.
However, the Rebels responded with two-second half goals for the win.
Morgan City rebounded with a 1-0 win against Division 3 foe Grace Christian.
Patterson said the game was “back-and-forth” and while he said the Lady Tigers had the “edge,” they could not overcome the Grace Christian defense.
While Morgan City couldn’t convert on a penalty kick, the squad scored the game’s lone goal with about 10 minutes remaining when Shawn Guillot took a cross by Hannah Toups and connected on a goal.
“Guillot was playing sick and showed determination all weekend,” Patterson said.
Morgan City was seeded fifth following the win, and the Lady Tigers next faced Division 1 Alexandria, the fourth seed.
Both teams had chances but both teams’ defense stood out.
Morgan City’s defensive unit of Chandler Pasqua, Lee Anne Price, Paige Comeaux, Ana Aries and Jade Theriot shut down Alexandria along with saves by goalie Layne Reynaud.
With 10 minutes left in the game, Sarah Patterson, who Trevor Patterson said is the “heart of the midfield,” was injured and lost for the rest of the tournament.
The scoreless contest was decided by penalty kicks with Reynaud shutting out all but one of Alexandria’s kicks, while Guillot connected on Morgan City’s final kick for the win.
Morgan City again faced Alexandria in the semifinals.
Patterson said his team “dug in deep” and their midfield of Maria Aguilera, Sierra Champagne, Adrianna Doblack and Guillot helping to shutdown Alexandria to again send the game into penalty kicks.
Morgan City won the game 4-2 with goals by Toups, Comeaux, Pasqua and Price.
Reynaud recorded two saves.
In the finals, the Lady Tigers fell to West Ouachita 4-0 in a game that Patterson said his “hurt” and fatigued squad was simply “outplayed.”
“I can't say enough about how these players put their heart on the field,” Patterson said of his squad. “You can't ask for anything more than them stepping up and truly acting like a team, working together and never giving up.”
Both the girls’ and boys’ team will host East Jefferson at Tiger Stadium Tuesday. The girls will play at 5 p.m., while the boys will follow at 7 p.m. East Jefferson’s boys’ squad is ranked sixth in the initial Division 2 poll.