BROOKHAVEN — Copiah Academy and Brookhaven Academy played a hard fought soccer match Tuesday night. At the final whistle, a late goal scored by Copiah Academy gave them the edge in a 2-1 victory over Brookhaven Academy. 

Brookhaven Academy had their chances to score more than one goal in the game. Copiah Academy took the initial lead with 17 minutes left in the first half but turned cold allowing Brookhaven Academy to claw its way back. 

Head Coach Alex Brown pointed out when the game started to swing in their favor. 

“I thought our football was good. We switched our tactics about halfway through the first half and I thought that made a big difference,” Brown said. “We started to generate a lot of chances just couldn’t quite get the end product”

Reeves Lindley equalized for Brookhaven Academy with 27 minutes left in the second half. From there, the Cougars created numerous opportunities. Lindley looked like he had scored the go-ahead goal but officials called him offside. 

A few minutes later, the Cougars won an indirect free kick in the box but were unable to put the chance away. Copiah Academy capitalized on a breakaway and scored to take a 2-1 lead with eight minutes left in the match.

Final attacks by Brookhaven Academy fizzled out. BA falls to 6-6 on the season and 0-1 in district play. The young team has plenty of skill and technical ability but lacks needed experience. Tuesday’s tough loss may be a learning opportunity for the squad. 

“I got a young team and we’re learning and maturing each game,” Brown said. “I’m proud of their performance tonight.”