Here’s a look at how area high school soccer teams fared in soccer action played on Monday.

Brookhaven High 3, Franklin County 0 (Girls)

Brookhaven High 3, Franklin County 1 (Boys)

It was a good night for Brookhaven High as the Panthers took two varsity wins on Monday at the Hansel King Sports Complex against Franklin County. BHS also won the opening junior varsity girl’s match by a 3-1 final score.

The varsity girls from Brookhaven High had previously defeated Franklin County 1-0 when the teams first met on Nov. 14 in Bude.

BHS coach Dustin Bairfield saw his team move to 6-2 overall with the win. Junior Hailey Breazeale got Brookhaven High on the board with her opening goal and was followed by scores from sophomore Isabella Iles and Eliza Smith.

Senior goalkeeper Olivia Smith finished with a clean sheet for BHS, as FC generated just three shots on goal. Sophomore defenders Maddie Henning and Kylee Lopez combined to blanket Franklin County senior striker Greyonne Queen, a Hinds CC signee, with their coverage.

“The girls played with passion and possessed the ball approximately 90-95 percent of the game, which made it an outstanding game of soccer for us,” said Bairfield. “I am truly proud to coach a group of ladies that play as a team.”

Other seniors on the team for BHS include Violet Belk and Annabelle Summers along with Smith.

The losses this season for Bairfield’s squad have come against Warren Central (2-0) in the Loyd Star Tournament and at MHSAA 7A Pearl (2-0) prior to Thanksgiving.

Region play begins on Friday, with the Panthers hitting the road to play at South Jones in Ellisville. The SJ girls’ team is 5-2-1 overall after beating North Pike 9-0 on Monday.

Coach Aaron Ayers saw his Brookhaven High boys’ team get a hat-trick from senior captain Ethen Lopez in the 3-1 win. Ayer’s crew moves to 6-2-1 on the season with the win.

Brookhaven High lost a huge senior class that helped the Panthers finish 16-7 last year in a season that saw Ole Brook eliminated 2-0 at East Central in the MHSAA 5A first round.

With a mix of older players, such as seniors Lopez, John Sones, Braden Johnson, Markham Williams and Bram Wolfe, along with some young guys filling in at new starting positions, the season has been a work in progress, one which has pleased Ayers thus far.

“Ethen has been a four-year starter for me and I’ve been blessed to see how he has grown into one of our team leaders,” said Ayers about the three goal effort from Lopez. “He has a natural feel for the game and has one of the best shots I have ever seen coming out of Brookhaven.”

Like their female counterparts, the Panthers have a big one coming up on Friday against South Jones. The BHS boys beat the Braves last season at home in a thriller. South Jones is 5-3-2 overall thus far in 2024.

“Going forward, we need to continue to play together as a team,” said Ayers. “This group has really stepped up and come together as a team. We need to continue to control the ball and the pace of play. Friday will be the toughest team we will have faced all season, but I know my boys are ready for the challenge.”

FC and coach Jeff Long got its lone goal from Xavien Felton in the loss. The two teams were tied 2-2 when they played earlier this season in Bude, a match won 4-3 via penalty kicks by the Panthers.

Franklin County has region matchups at Wesson on Thursday and at Loyd Star on Monday, Dec. 9. Brookhaven High does not have another home match until Dec. 19, when the Panthers will host Natchez High.

Loyd Star 5, West Lincoln 0 (Girls)

Loyd Star 8, West Lincoln 0 (Boys)

The Loyd Star Hornets got region play started with a sweep of West Lincoln on Monday.

The LS girls’ team got three goals from sophomore Adi Holcomb in the win to move to 7-3 on the season. Senior Ady Locke added one goal while sophomore Maya Wyant scored one goal and dished out one assist. Junior Emma King also had a pair of assists for the Hornets.

“You could tell we were somewhat rusty after the Thanksgiving break, but we quickly shook it off and found our form,” said Jordan Lea, who coaches both teams at Loyd Star. “Once the girls settled down, they were in control of the game from start to finish. They were challenged prior to the game to look like the defending district champs, and we were able to start the defense of district off the right way. We are 1-0 where it counts, but we aren’t satisfied. We’ll keep improving and get ready to play some tough district games coming up.”

Loyd Star will host MHSAA 5A Wayne County on Thursday in a non-region matchup. On Monday, Loyd Star hosts Franklin County in a big region pairing.

The LS boys’ squad is now 6-1-2 with the win.  Junior Kaleb Waldrop scored three goals and had one assist for the Hornets. Junior Brody Thibodeaux added two goals while Cooper Creel, Mason Smith, and Zac Reid each tallied one goal apiece for Lea’s team. Creel, Smith, Reid, Jamisyn Kelly, and Dalexis Gonzalez had an assist each for the Hornets.

“The boys came out and dominated,” said Lea. “It was a great first game back with all of our boys returning from football. I was worried about the chemistry on the field and there were hardly any issues at all. Overall, I was very pleased with coming out and doing what we were expected to do. It’s always good to get the first district win under the belt, but we still have plenty of season left. We need to keep working to improve.”

 

Brookhaven Academy 4 Muddy River Homeschool 3 (Boys)

The Brookhaven Academy boys’ team moved to 5-2 on the season with a 4-3 win over Muddy River, a homeschooled coalition out of Jackson.

Sophomore Reeves Lindley paced the BA offense with three goals. The Cougar also got one goal from sophomore Taylor Evans. Coach Alex Brown and the Cougars are back at home on Thursday hosting Saint Augustine School out of Ridgeland.