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Meredith Lessley holds the ball for Cathedral High School during a match against Adams County Christian School on Tuesday. Lessley had 10 saves in the match. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

Adams County Christian School's Madi Cooley moves the ball past Mollie Anderson in Tuesday night's match. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

Halle Peterman kicks the ball for the Adams County Christian School Lady Rebels during a match against Cathedral High School Lady Green Wave. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

Adams County Christian School’s Halle Peterman tries to move around Cathedral High School’s Maria Verucchi during Tuesday night’s game at Cathedral High School. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

Drue Boyd takes a corner kick for Adams County Christian School against Cathedral High School on Tuesday night. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

The Cathedral High School Lady Green Wave celebrate after beating Adams County Christian School, 4-3, on Tuesday night. (Patrick Murphy | The Natchez Democrat)

Denis Hogue, Cathedral High School soccer coach, left, talks to Jimmy Allgood, Adams County Christian School soccer coach, right, after a match last fall. (File | The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ — The Cathedral High School Lady Green Wave soccer team earned a pulsating 4-3 victory over the Adams County Christian School Lady Rebels to claim the South Division II championship on Tuesday night.

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools is separated into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III. Four regions are in Division II and both Cathedral High School and ACCS are in the South region. Both the Green Wave and Lady Rebels were the top two teams in the South region and moved onto the Division II playoffs.

Meredith Lessley, goalkeeper for Cathedral, made a game-saving block with four minutes left in the match to preserve the win for the Lady Green Wave. Adams County Christian School’s Halle Peterman lobbed a pass toward the goal where an ACCS player attempted to hit the ball with her head toward the goal. Lessley made 10 saves in the match for Cathedral. Lessley said it was a good feeling to help the Lady Green Wave earn the victory. Dennis Hogue, Cathedral High School soccer coach, said he was proud of Lessley’s efforts as the goalkeeper.

“The save she made was the difference in the match,” Hogue said. “If the ball had gone in, then that would have sent us into overtime. Lessley told me she was going to redeem herself after the last match against ACCS, where she had two goals go through her hands. She played a really good match.” 

Izzy Dupré led the Lady Green Wave with three goals in the match and Gracie Foster also scored a goal. Both Jacie Ratliff and Dupré each had an assist for Cathedral in the match.

Ella Wilson, Peterman and Drue Boyd all scored a goal for the Lady Rebels in the game. Jimmy Allgood, Lady Rebels soccer head coach, said the Lady Rebels started the game sluggish.

“We didn’t communicate with each other in the match, which was different from the previous matches where we did,” Allgood said. “We were down a couple of goals early on and we tweaked a few things at halftime.”

Allgood said he was impressed with Peterman’s second-half goal. Peterman kicked the ball from 53-yards away and it went over Lessley’s hands for a Lady Rebels goal.

“I saw the ball rolling and I just had to give us a chance,” Peterman said. “I never thought the ball would go in.”

Wilson scored the first goal off of an assist by Sarah Gordon while Peterman scored the second goal for the Lady Rebels. Boyd made the final goal for the Lady Rebels.

“Cathedral came out and they wanted it more than we did,” Boyd said. “It was a high-intensity game and I think both teams played good.”

Cathedral (9-3, 5-1) is the No. 1 seed from the South region and will host East Rankin Academy, the No. 2 seed from the Central region, on Tuesday at D’Evereaux Stadium.

ACCS (11-4, 5-2) came into the match against Cathedral on Tuesday off of a 7-0 win over Parklane Academy on Monday.

Boyd led the Lady Rebels with three goals while Brooklyn Timmons, Kaylie Jester, Gordon and Wilson each scored one goal. Boyd scored her second hat trick of the season with her first on Aug. 4 against Copiah Academy. Boyd said it was a good feeling in scoring a hat trick and it was a fun game against Parklane.

The Lady Rebels are the No. 2 seed from the South Region and will travel to Hartfield Academy, the No. 1 seed from the Central region, on Tuesday.

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