[11/10/04]The Warren Central girls soccer team held a players-only meeting before their matchup with Northwest Rankin Tuesday night.

It worked.

The Lady Vikes (1-1-1) scored two first-half goals and Emily Coker made 19 saves in a 2-1 win over seventh-ranked Northwest Rankin at Strickland Field in Bovina.

“Being a senior and a captain, Emily has come out and done a great job for us,” WC coach Kristin Gough said. “Tonight, she set the tone for us and came up with some big saves.”

Coker held fifth-ranked Ridgeland to only one goal in the season-opening tie on Saturday, and on Tuesday she only allowed one goal with 10 minutes left in the game.

A long shot bounced off her hands to Northwest Rankin’s Mary Beth Dodd, who dribbled the ball into goal to cut a 2-0 deficit in half.

“They were bound to get a goal. Northwest’s a great team,” Gough said. “They had plenty of opportunities.”

Goals by Chelsa Jones and Liza Kate Chaney in the first half gave WC a 2-0 lead.

(B) NW Rankin 3, WC 0

Warren Central coach Jay Harrison has no desire to see Northwest Rankin after the Cougars’ six starters return from the playoff-bound football team.

“Missing six players with the way way they played tonight, they will be tremendous,” said Harrison, whose team fell to 1-2 with a 3-0 shutout to the Cougars (1-0).

Austin Cole and Brandon Ammaker each scored a first-half goal, and Matthew Walters added a goal on a penalty kick to supply the offense for Northwest.

Warren Central managed only five shots and missed a couple golden opportunities late in the second half.

“They outplayed us, but we are going day-to-day,” Harrison said. “When you have a team with nine new players and even bringing new ones off the bench, we’re taking every game one at a time.”