Girls soccer: Permian knocks off OHS, stays in the hunt

It is too early to tell if the Permian girls soccer team has turned the corner, but Thursday?s result at Ratliff Stadium might have been a step in that direction. Permian broke open a tied game with two goals just before halftime and added two more in the second half for a 5-1 victory against Odessa High in the District 3-5A match. Though time is running thin in the District 3-5A season, Permian (8-11-1 overall, 3-6 district) still has a chance at its fifth consecutive playoff berth if the Lady Panthers can run the table. That is not an easy order necessarily, but it is possible thanks to the four-goal victory, which featured two goals and one assist by freshman Paige Strahan. ?It?s really good, and we all worked hard for it,? Strahan said. ?We?ve been really tense these past games, and we came out having fun and really wanting to win, but playing our game our way, working as a team.? Strahan opened the scoring for Permian off an assist from Haley Fowler for a 1-0 lead, but Odessa High (11-9-1, 3-6) tied it quickly 1-1 on a goal by Rachel Ramos off an assist by Christian Whalen. That scoreline held for most of the half, but Permian scored two goals in less than 90 seconds for a 3-1 halftime lead. With OHS starting goalkeeper Meg Morgan having to leave the field because she was bleeding after being kicked in the face while making a save, the Lady Panthers didn?t give OHS any time to adjust. With 4:17 left in the half, Hubnik scored on an 18-yard shot off a past from Shalee Thomas for a 2-1 lead. Then, with 2:59 left in the half, Dusty Westlund scored off a Strahan pass for a 3-1 edge. ?If we had an excuse to kind of fold up and make it the same way it?s been, it would?ve been right there,? Permian coach Chad Peterson said of Odessa High?s tying goal before the late outburst. ?But they stood up strong and made it stand up again.? OHS nearly pulled with a goal in the early stages of the second half on a goal-mouth scramble, but the Lady Bronchos could not finish anything. That proved costly as Permian pushed its lead to 4-1 with 18:15 to go when Strahan pounded a shot home off an assist from Hubnik. Peterson pointed to that as the true game-winning goal, the one that finally built a lead from which OHS could not recover. The final goal for Permian came with 1:36 to play on an own goal, the result of a long free kick by Fowler that was inadvertently headed into the goal. ?Permian came out extremely aggressive and give credit to those kids,? Odessa High coach Jessie McCartney said. ?There was an obvious hunger in the way they played. The second half I thought we worked harder. We had some looks, but not nearly enough, and they capitalized on the opportunities they were provided.? Permian is two games behind Midland Lee (10-8-1, 4-4) for the fourth and final District 3-5A playoff berth. The Lady Panthers play host to Lee at 2 p.m. Saturday. ?This is a breakout game right now,? Peterson said. ?This is one of those baby steps. If it?s meant for us to be there, that?s fine. There?s still a lot of ways it could go, but this heals a lot of wounds right now.? District 3-5A Soccer GIRLS All District Team W L T W L Abilene High 16 2 0 6 1 x-Midland High 19 4 0 7 2 San Angelo Central 14 5 0 6 2 Midland Lee 10 8 1 4 4 Odessa High 11 9 1 3 6 Permian 8 11 1 3 6 Abilene Cooper 3 15 0 0 8 x-clinched playoff spot Thursday?s Scores Midland High 3, Midland Lee 2, SO (2-1) Permian 5, Odessa High 1 Abilene High vs. Abilene Cooper, postponed (weather) Friday?s Game Abilene High vs. Abilene Cooper, 5 p.m. Saturday?s Games Midland Lee at Permian, 2 p.m. Odessa High at Midland High, 2 p.m. San Angelo Central at Abilene High, 2 p.m. Tuesday?s Games Abilene High at Midland Lee, 5 p.m. Permian at San Angelo Central, 7 p.m. Midland High at Abilene Cooper, 7 p.m.