Ladycats shut out Waxahachie to advance to Moritz Kia championship match; Bearcats fall in overtime shootout

Aledo senior midfielder Peyton Laughley scored a pair of goals to lead the Ladycats to a 2-0 victory over Waxahachie Friday afternoon in the girls' semifinals of the Moritz Kia Tournament of Champions soccer tournament at Bearcat Stadium.

The win advances the Ladycats to the girls' tournament championship match that will kick off at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Stadium.

Both goals came in the first half. With 15:45 remaining, Laughley picked up a loose ball in the box and scored from point-blank range to give the Ladycats a 1-0 lead.

With six minutes remaining in the half Laughley struck again, picking up a deflection in the box and depositing it in the back of the net for a 2-0 cushion. It appeared Laughley had scored for a hat trick in the second half, but the goal was disallowed due to an offsides infraction.

Mackenzie Covington started in goal and shared the shutout with sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Federman. The Ladycats have not been scored on during the tournament.

Waxahachie 1, Bearcats 0 OT

After scoreless play in regulation, Waxahachie won the shootout to officially take a 1-0 win over the Aledo Bearcats in the boys' semifinals.

The Bearcats will play for third place at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Bearcats Stadium.

Aledo controlled most of the play in the first half and had a few scoring chances. Waxahachie controlled play in the second half, but every Indians' shot was turned away by Aledo senior goalkeeper Caleb Hill.

Aledo missed its first two shots in the shootout while Waxahachie made its first two shots from the penalty kick mark. Trailing 2-0 in the shootout, Aledo senior Reed Vierling cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal.

However, Waxahachie recorded its third straight shootout goal to increase its lead to 3-1. The format is a five-shot shootout, meaning Aledo had to score next to extend the match.

Bearcats junior midfielder Alfredo DeCasas kept his team afloat with a goal to cut the lead to 3-2.

But there was no margin for error for AHS as the next Waxahachie goal would seal the match. The Indians converted on their ensuing shot to take the match and advance to the championship match.

Aledo senior midfielder Peyton Laughley (9) scored two goals to lead the Ladycats to a 2-0 victory over Waxahachie Friday afternoon in the girls' semifinals of the Moritz Kia Tournament of Champions soccer tournament. The Ladycats will play in the championship match at 8 p.m. Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. Photo by Tony Eierdam.