MOORE — The Sand Springs girls team has three star players back from injury for Friday's important District 6A-4 soccer game against South Moore.
Having Laney Stanfill, Eva Watts and Vera Chaney back in the lineup was huge for the Lady Sandites as both teams were fighting for a postseason berth.
“We're dealing with injuries, so we're going to be without four or five starting pitchers tonight,” manager Francisco Chavez said before the game. “It's been a tough few weeks for us.”
Watts scored a goal late in his return, but it wasn't enough as the Sandites lost a 2-1 decision.
Sand Springs (7-5, 2-3) had a chance to catch up when Stanfill received a yellow card for contact with goaltender Rel Lamb with 3:39 left in the game.
Dribbling past defenders in midfield, Stanfill was pushed in before he could take a shot, but the path to the Southmoore goal was clear.
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After receiving the call, Mr. Chavez became furious that Mr. Stanfill had been pushed by Mr. Lamb.
“We gave our forward one-on-one with the goalie and she got pushed from behind and he asked us for it. It's just unacceptable. The officiating should be better in Oklahoma State. Just. It’s my period.”
Chavez contested another decision that earned him a yellow card, and Makara Johnson's penalty with 16 minutes left in the first half led to Southmoore's first goal.
Sand Springs' Ashley Feigenbaum was penalized for tangled and tripped by Johnson during a stoppage in play.
Chavez said the referee initially called for a dropped ball, but then changed his mind.
“It's like telling the girls at half-time that when you're playing 11 plus three, you can't do anything, so you're behind.”
The Sabercats increased their lead to 2-0 with 14:07 remaining when Hannah Montoya took a well-placed free kick from Destiny Livingston that beat Sand Springs goaltender Sophia Hart.
Watts scored with 7:48 remaining, cutting the lead in half.
Sand Springs concludes the regular season with home games against Union on Tuesday and Bishop Kelly on Friday. Chavez said the Sandites must win both to make the playoffs.
“There's still a chance. It's a difficult shot,” he said. “We have two tough games, but hopefully we can get two tough wins.”
In the boys game, Sand Springs didn't have an answer for Southmoore senior Austin Hart. Hart scored three goals in the SaberCats' 8-0 win. Junior Kayden Locke scored twice for Southmoore (6-6, 2-3), which had seven points in the second half.
Sand Springs fell to 3-9 on the season and 0-5 in district play.
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