Felicity’s Eli Taylor heads a ball into the net for the Cardinals’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Williamsburg on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.

Felicity’s Eli Taylor heads a ball into the net for the Cardinals’ lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Williamsburg on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.

<p>Williamsburg’s Haili Miller heads the ball away from Felicity’s Taylor McElfresh.</p>

Williamsburg’s Haili Miller heads the ball away from Felicity’s Taylor McElfresh.

<p>Williamsburg’s Eli Jones battles for the ball with Felicity’s Ian Hiler.</p>

Williamsburg’s Eli Jones battles for the ball with Felicity’s Ian Hiler.

<p>Felicity’s Briston Terry gains control of the ball while being defended by Williamsburg’s Lyndsey Arwine.</p>

Felicity’s Briston Terry gains control of the ball while being defended by Williamsburg’s Lyndsey Arwine.

<p>Williamsburg’s Zach Earley winds up to kick the ball for the Wildcats.</p>

Williamsburg’s Zach Earley winds up to kick the ball for the Wildcats.

<p>Felicity’s Brooklyn Wehrum looks to control a pass from a teammate.</p>

Felicity’s Brooklyn Wehrum looks to control a pass from a teammate.

Rain may have dampened the originally scheduled contests between the Williamsburg and Felicity soccer teams, but the sunshine greeted both teams in Felicity last week.

Williamsburg ended up on the sunny side of the scoreboard in both contests, with the boys winning 3-1 and the Lady Wildcats defeating Felicity 9-2.

The boys game was historic for the program, as it combined with the team’s victory over CNE the night before to produce the first two-game winning streak in program history.

“[That] feels good,” Williamsburg head coach Dave Hollins said. “I think they’re starting to get pumped up, they’re starting to trust each other. We’ll continue to foster that, work on the fundamentals as they grow. Some of the guys on our backline are going head to head with seniors, they’re pulling 95 pounds but they have a heart as big as any of the guys out there.”

The Wildcats took an early lead on a Felicity own goal in the 19th minute of the first half. The Cardinals had chances to score in that period, but couldn’t find the back of the net until Eli Taylor headed in a Jacob Arthur throw in the 10th minute of the second period.

Eli Jones put Williamsburg ahead 2-1 with a penalty kick in the 28th minute. He added another goal in the 31st minute to secure the Wildcat win.

“We honed in the past two weeks and really worked on touch and communication,” Hollins said. “They’re working up on it, they’re really starting to gel and get some chemistry. They’re a young class of sophomores and juniors, but they’re putting in the work. Here’s the reward.”

Meanwhile, the loss dropped Felicity to 3-3 on the season. Head coach Aaron Taylor said that while it was unfortunate the Cardinals couldn’t find the back of the net more often against Williamsburg, he was happy with how the team played.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Taylor said. “They didn’t let that put their heads down, they kept fighting back.”

They kept up that effort even as they started to tire physically in the second half, according to Taylor.

“[The] defense tired down a little bit,” Taylor said. “Mental errors started to happen. It opened up the middle of the field for Williamsburg to take advantage of.”

Like Williamsburg, Felicity entered the game having won their last contest. For the Cardinals, that was a 1-0 victory over Fayetteville.

“Last year we lost to Fayetteville 3-0,” Taylor said. “This year, it was a close game. They’re a very well-coached, disciplined team. We battled back and forth. First half, for me, it was just keep your shape, play defense. We just kept chipping away and eventually we had one where Jace Blackburn chipped it into Carson [Crozier]. The keeper came out, Carson just put his foot on it and lobbed it over.”

Williamsburg’s slow start in the first half could be attributed to a bit of a hangover following the win over CNE the night before, according to Hollins.

“Some of these games can be emotional,” Hollins said. “When you come in, you may not be as fired up. A lot of these guys played in the game yesterday, a lot of the guys were out late after the senior night we had at home. Coming in the second half, it starts to get a little physical. They start to wake up, get a goal and ride that momentum.”

The girls took to the pitch following the boys contest. It took 13 minutes for either team to find a goal, with Williamsburg’s Emma Cummins putting the Lady Wildcats ahead 1-0.

Roughly 16 minutes later, Kiley Caudill made it 2-0 Williamsburg. Kaitlyn Gregory added a goal in the 32nd minute to put the Lady Wildcats ahead 3-0.

Felicity’s Briston Terry had an answer, cutting the Williamsburg lead to 3-1. That goal marked Felicity’s first goal against Williamsburg since a 5-2 loss on September 3, 2015.

Gregory scored two more goals before the end of the half, earning a first-half hat trick in the process. Cummins added her second goal, putting Williamsburg ahead 6-1 at the break.

Terry added her second goal 10 minutes into the second half. Gregory added a fourth goal in the second half for Williamsburg, with Autumn Gregory and Kirstyn Thomas also finding the back of the net in the period.

The win was an important one for Williamsburg. In addition to the league ramifications, it helps the Lady Wildcats rebound after a draw with CNE and a loss to New Richmond.

“We were struggling,” Williamsburg head coach Brian Hart said. “We’re trying to make things happen. We’re trying to put girls in different positions to succeed. Wherever you’re at on this field, it’s the same. You’re just in a different part of the field. Same game, same skillset, same tactical awareness…it was good to have a nice win.”

From a confidence standpoint, Hart said it was important for the team’s goal scorers to find success against the Lady Cardinals.

“We’ve struggled in scoring goals, and for the girls who are the normal goal scorers, the more offensive-minded kids, it’s nice for them to get that boost,” Hart said.

Defensively, Hart said the team has to work on trusting each other more.

“Calm down,” Hart said. “That’s our thing. They get so panicked. There will be times where they’ll send two and we have five girls back. Just trust your teammates and relax. That was the main thing. Relax, trust the players around you.”

Felicity coach Brandy Baker was happy with how her team played early on in the contest.

“In the beginning of the game, we covered the field really well,” Baker said. “Everyone played their positions good and we covered the field well. We ran out of steam a little bit, but they didn’t give up.”

Baker added she thought the team battled well, even with a few missing players and a lack of experience compared to their foe.

“We have two seniors,” Baker said. “I feel like we go up against a lot of juniors and seniors. We don’t have JV, we’re a smaller school, but the girls don’t give up. They go out and fight. They’re good players and they’re all trying to learn new positions because of injuries.”

Williamsburg has a doubleheader with Blanchester up next on the schedule. The boys game begins at 5 p.m. in Blanchester on Thursday, September 17, with the girls to follow at 7 p.m.

Felicity is scheduled to visit Peebles on Saturday, September 19. The boys varsity game begins at 10 a.m. with the girls to follow at noon.