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Maddie Martin desperately wanted a shutout early in the season, and her Wiley Girls soccer team finally got it.

Cary Richardson scored two goals and Avery Anders made six saves as the Lady Bulldogs beat Odessa High 2-0 in an out-of-district match at Sandifer Stadium on Tuesday.

“I was really proud of them,” said Martin, who graduated from Wiley in 2013. “I’ve been emphasizing shutout, shutout, shutout, but this is the first time I’ve done it successfully against a really good 6A team.”

Wiley's Taylor Riley (right) competes with Odessa High School's Samantha Ramirez in the first half.

Wiley improved to 2-2-0 after going 1-2-0 at last week’s Joshua tournament.

The Bulldogs scored the only goal they needed against the OHS when Richardson scored a breakaway with 28 minutes remaining in the first half (0-1). After the Lady Bulldogs blocked the Lady Bronchos attack, they scored almost covering the length of the field, thus coming off a long pass from Masi Hanson.

“Scoring first and getting up at halftime definitely helps,” Martin said. “But the biggest point at half-time was to keep the clean sheet. It was about keeping a clean sheet.”

Anders made a great save early in the second half, with Richardson scoring the second goal. This is from a pass from Briley Ross with 6:30 remaining.

Wiley returns 16 players, including eight starters, from a 7-14-1 team that finished fourth in the division last season with a 4-7 record. Amarillo High defeated the Lady Bulldogs in the first round of the playoffs where he went 4-1.

“We’ve had quite a few coming back and we have a few new tenants who are really talented and helping us out,” Martin said. “I think we can compete really well in our district. It’s more difficult, of course, with Abilene High School in our district, but I think we can still do well.”

District rivals Lubbock Coronado and Lubbock Cooper were regional semi-finalists last year, with Lubbock Monterey earning another playoff spot in the league.

Martin, who took over the Wiley program for the 2020-21 season, missed all district and postseason play last season after giving birth to his first child.

She gave birth to a boy on February 2, three days before the district opener.

Gaby Simanc, assistant to former Wiley head coach Manuel Cordova at Prosper Rock Hill, coached the Lady Bulldogs in Martin’s absence.

“It was really hard to leave the girls,” said Martin. “I was really young last year, so it was already a year of learning.”

Wiley will face Granbury in an out-of-district match at Granbury on Friday.

Lady Ruth Stimie Cooper

Weatherford beat Cooper 4–1 in a non-district match at Shotwell auxiliary field.

Cooper started the season with a 5-1 loss to San Angelo Central in Abilene on Friday.

The Cooper and Abilene High football teams are playing their home games this season at Shotwell Auxiliary or Home Field while Shotwell Stadium’s press box is undergoing renovations.

Cooper will play Joshua on Thursday at the Richland Royals Winter Blast in the North Richland Hills.

boys

coog ties bronco

JR Perez hit a second-half goal in helping Cooper tie Odessa High 1-1 in the Cougars’ season opener at Shotwell Auxiliary Field.

It was a scoreless game until the Bronchos found another back late in the second half.

OHS, who had possession of the ball for most of the game, looked to have won 1-0, mostly on attack, but Perez scored a late pass from Guillermo Garcia.

“I think we played well,” said Cooper manager Lalo Munoz. We couldn’t do it, but it was great to fight back and score the equalizer at the end of the game.”

Cooper will face Saginaw on Thursday, the first day of the Saginaw Tournament.