When Vicksburg’s offense is playing run and gun and goalkeeper Robin Cooper is making big saves behind a strong defense, it makes for a winning formula.

Tabitha Hayden, MiKayla Banks and Maya Thomas scored one goal apiece to pace Vicksburg to a 3-1 win over visiting Germantown on Thursday.

Vicksburg coach Kori Babb was happy with her team’s effort, especially at midfield, where the Missy Gators were able to set the table for their superior speed to take hold.

“We utilized our speed very well up top and we started to win those 50-50 balls that we didn’t against Ridgeland,” Babb said. “Our defense in the second half started pinching in like I’ve begged them to, but I thought winning the 50-50 balls helped us and our speed up top was something Germantown couldn’t stop.”

One thing the Missy Gators (1-1) want to work on is their 1-on-1 shooting. Several times in the second half, the Missy Gators were unable to convert on some forward vs. keeper opportunities that could have made a big lead even bigger.

“Hopefully, we can work and improve on that,” Babb said. “We’ve focused on defense this early in the season, but we haven’t worked as much with our forwards attacking. We need to work more on possessing the ball and connecting together some more passes. Also, on defense, we need to focus more on attacking the ball immediately rather than settling back.”