By Randy Arrington
LURAY, April 11 — Through intermittent rain, the Luray High School girls soccer team scored five goals in the second half on Thursday to walk away with a Bull Run District win, 8-3, over visiting Strasburg at Bulldog Field. Luray is firmly in fourth place in the district behind three undefeated teams.
Senior Hazel Parlett and junior Kate Taglauer each scored three goals during Thursday’s district match. Taglauer hit the back of the net just 10 minutes in to give Luray an early lead, before bouncing the ball off a Strasburg defender to gain her second goal 15 minutes later. The junior scored one more to open up the second half with a powerful shot past the goalie at the 36:20 mark. Parlett earned her hat trick off penalty kicks, with especially nice touches on two lofting shots in the second half.
After trailing 2-0, Strasburg would crowd the box and score its first goal off nice team play with 7:30 left in the first half. The Rams would score again in similar fashion with under two minutes to play. Strasburg immediately threatened again in the final minute, but strong play by Luray goalie Gracie Embry left the Bulldogs with a 3-2 lead at the half.
The Bulldogs missed a few scoring opportunities in the first half, including a penalty kick that went high and a nice crossover pass in front of the net that they couldn’t convert. However, they made up for it in the second half, recording four goals in the first 19 minutes. In addition to Taglauer and Parlett, sophomore Michaela Mason scored at the 24:26 mark (she bounced another shot off the goal post with less than two minutes to play) and senior Savannah Owens put the final goal on the board in the final minute.
Luray missed a few scoring opportunities in the second half as well, but their defense really picked up the pace and controlled the ball more in the final 40 minutes. Strasburg seemed to control the ball more in the first half, but Luray was more efficient when they had possession. The Bulldogs turned the tide in the second half and dominated the pitch. Embry had multiple saves at the goal for Luray in the second half.
With the win, Luray moves to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the Bull Run District. The Bulldogs started the season winning four of five games before falling to perennial powerhouse Clarke County, 6-0, on Tuesday. Their only other loss was to Madison, 3-1, on March 28. Next up, Luray will travel to Central of Woodstock on Monday.
With the loss, Strasburg falls to 1-4-1 overall and 1-3-1 in the district. On Tuesday, the Rams tied Page County, 3-3. Their only win came on March 28 at home against Mt. View, 9-3. Next up, the Rams will travel to Madison County on Monday.
BULL RUN DISTRICT STANDINGS
Girls Soccer
- Central of Woodstock 4-0 / 6-0
- Madison County 4-0 / 4-2
- Clarke County 3-0 / 3-4
- Luray 3-2 / 5-2
- Strasburg 1-3-1 / 1-4-1
- Mountain View. 1-4 / 1-5
- Page County 0-3 / 1-3
- Rappahannock 0-4 / 1-4
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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