The powerful leg of Tabitha Hayden gave Vicksburg High a big win over archrival Warren Central Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.

Hayden blasted two first-half goals and the Missy Gators defense made it stand up for a 2-1 win. The victory was a big lift for Vicksburg’s playoff hopes while Warren Central (8-6-2, 1-1 Division 3-6A) faces a must-win situation when the two teams meet again Tuesday at Viking Stadium.

Missy Gators coach Kori Babb credited Hayden and goalkeeper Robin Cooper, who kept the Lady Vikes off the board for the last 58 minutes of the match.

“T.T. (Hayden) made some amazing shots and Robin made some great saves,” Babb said. “The girls played their hearts out.”

Babb added that the Missy Gators got some positive carryover from Tuesday’s solid game in a 2-1 loss at Clinton.

“It definitely helped us,” Babb said. “Warren Central hadn’t played since the break, while we were able to improve on some areas we needed to work out.”

One area where Vicksburg (6-6, 1-2 3-6A) shines is Hayden. Her first goal, which came at the 13:45 mark in the first half, came from 35 yards out. Eight minutes later, she rocketed another one from 40 yards.

“When I’m out there playing, I’m thinking about how we’re doing as a group,” Hayden said. “We’ve worked hard and our plan is to win again Tuesday and go to the playoffs.”

Warren Central coach Trey Banks said his team had a pair of defensive lapses at the wrong time.

“Against T.T., you have to close down quick on her,” Banks said. “We didn’t and she took advantage. I thought Vicksburg played an outstanding game and got the result they needed.”

Because the Lady Vikes have yet to play Clinton, they have a lot of soccer left, but the focus is on Tuesday’s rematch with the Missy Gators.

“We looked at this as two halves,” Banks said. “The second half for us is Tuesday night.”

In the second half Thursday, WC had three golden chances to get a tying goal. Just minutes into the half, the Lady Vikes forged a scrum in front of the Vicksburg’s goal. Two shots were deflected away and Vicksburg was able to clear.

Six minutes later off a corner kick, Lindsey Barfield had a header that went over the bar.

With under four minutes to play, WC’s Lindsey Burris unleashed a strong kick from the center at 30 yards. Cooper reacted in time to knock it away.

“I just had to figure out where it was going, and just go for it,” Cooper said of the save. It was one of seven in the game.

The Lady Vikes finished with 13 shots to Vicksburg’s 11. WC’s lone goal came with 19:53 left in the first half on a right crosser from Taylor Hanes.