NATCHEZ &045; That’ll teach them.

Natchez High, graced with its most talented team since organizing a soccer program in the late 1990s, pulled off a major upset on Dec. 22 when the Bulldogs beat crosstown rival Cathedral for the first time.

Tony Edgell’s penalty kick in sudden death broke a 1-all affair that frigid night.

However, on Tuesday the Green Wave’s minds were stacked full of sacks of payback, as they retrieved some retribution in the form of a 6-0 shutout on Senior Night at D’Evereux Stadium.

&uot;Coach Rick (Freeman) didn’t let us forget what happened the last time we played them,&uot; said Cathedral forward Nick Anderson, who had a hat trick in his last regular season home game. &uot;We knew we’d have the advantage being at home. We’ve been working a lot on shorter and smarter passes.&uot;

Anderson’s first goal broke a scoreless contest with 2:58 left in the first half. Patrick Vogt intercepted a Bulldog pass and bumped it ahead to Jordan Kirkwood, who boomed a centering pass above a cluster of Natchez and Cathedral players.

Anderson waited patiently for the ball to drop, settled it off a high bounce and then drove deep into the penalty box where he delivered the shot from a tough angle.

The low liner squirted pass Natchez keeper Aaron Ratliff, who the Green Wave had difficulty scoring on in the teams’ first meeting.

&uot;He’s a good athlete, but we were on top of our game,&uot; Anderson said of Ratliff. &uot;We took advantage when opportunities arose and converted out shots.&uot;

A persistent John Paul Kenda made it 2-0 in the closing seconds when his first shot on goal glanced off of Matthew Henderson, who tried to clear it out of the box.

However, Henderson failed and a dogged Kenda followed it up with a lurching screamer inside the left upright.

Natchez High coach Dennis Hogue said he was not surprised by the effort and nature in which the Green Wave played with.

&uot;(Cathedral) had something to prove. That’s what a rivalry is all about,&uot; he said. &uot;My hat’s off to Rick. I knew he’d have them ready. We wanted to prove last time wasn’t a fluke. I’m still proud of my defense. They’re so tough.&uot;

After a Kirkwood goal made it 3-0 early in the second half, Anderson collected his second goal of the night with 33:46 to play with a great ahead pass from Andy Taunton.

Taunton slipped it through a nest of Bulldogs and Anderson was right there to battle with Natchez sweeper Brandon Jones.

When keeper Joseph Hayes &045; inserted at the start of the second, which is customary &045; came out, there was a bit of miscommunication, allowing Anderson to pick the Bulldog pairs’ pockets and blast the white leather into some white nylon feet from the goal line.

&uot;This was definitely one of our best games we’ve played all season from beginning to end,&uot; Freeman said. &uot;We were in control of the ball, not just kicking it down field.&uot;

Anderson finished his prolific night at the 18:36 mark to put the Wave up 5-0, preceding Cory Brock’s goal with less than 10 minutes to play.

Anderson assisted Brock off a direct kick; however, Brock scrambled to the ball when it became loose in the box.

He wormburned through the legs of a dejected Hayes.

&uot;They moved the ball so well. We were kind of kicking it around. They were so patient too,&uot; Hogue said of the Greenies. &uot;Our guys don’t pass the ball back enough. (Cathedral) looked like a soccer team tonight, and we looked like one that needed some practice.&uot;

Anderson said the trick now will be carrying the positive vibes of Tuesday’s uplifting win into Friday’s Division 7 decider at North Pike.

&uot;It seems like we’ve gone up and down this year,&uot; he said. &uot;We have some good games, but then don’t play up to that level the next time out. We need to lock up the home field advantage for the playoffs. The pressure is on us to defend our championship.&uot;

Both teams carry in a 4-1 record, with Cathedral’s four straight crowns on the line in Summit Friday night.

The Wave are already in the postseason win or lose; however, the outcome will determined whether Cathedral hosts a first-round game against the Division 6 runner-up or heads to the Division 6 champ, as they playoffs begin next Tuesday.

Natchez girls 3, Cathedral 2

A valiant comeback effort from the Lady Greenies was washed away when Ashley Mitchell’s penalty kick in sudden death ripped the back of the net.

Kate Ellard scored a pair of goals in a four-minute span in the latter part of the second half to lock the game up after the Lady Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead with 24:08 in the second half on a Stacy Weaver goal.

After both teams survived two sets of penalty kicks, they went into sudden death where Mitchell went high of Lady Grennies keeper Lori Scruggs for the season sweep.

&uot;This is her first year to play soccer,&uot; Lady Bulldog head coach Lena Yarbrough said of Mitchell. &uot;She’s got a good mind for the ball. Penalty kicks are nerve-racking. I’m proud of the girls. They stayed calm and did what they had to do.&uot;

Cathedral head coach Christine Krupa missed Tuesday due to illness, but David Gaud filled in nicely on Senior Night.

Gaud said the Lady Wave decided before the game to have a shootout if it came to that.

&uot;The girls played with a lot of intensity tonight,&uot; Gaud said. &uot;They never gave up. We got a spark with that first goal and then set a fire with the second. We kept shooting but couldn’t make a third.&uot;