The Cornersville Lady Bulldogs picked up their sixth win of the season on Tuesday afternoon when they claimed a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Wayne County Lady Wildcats at home.

Wayne County had defeated CHS 4-0 in their lone meeting last season, but the Lady Bulldogs more than held their own in Tuesday's contest and led 1-0 at the break thanks to a goal by senior striker Jessica Dunn late in the first half.

After the Lady Wildcats tallied a goal early in the second half to tie the game at 1-1, neither team found the back of the net over the next 30 minutes before Cornersville (6-4-1) pulled out the dramatic win when sophomore midfielder Anna Claire Foster scored on a long range shot in the 79th minute.

Happy coach

"This is a great win because this is the most skilled team we've beat all season so this is a huge confidence boost. It's a really good indicator of how far we've come this season," said CHS coach Lindsey Browning. "I didn't expect to do this well this season. We're a young team and I thought it would be a rebuilding year, but they've surpassed my expectations."

Both teams had ample scoring opportunities in the contest, as the Lady Bulldogs finished with a 21-17 edge in shot attempts. Foster led Cornersville with eight shot attempts to go along with a goal and an assist, while Amala Elder took seven shots. Dunn, Alexis Easterwood, and Ashley Orr attempted three, two, and one shot respectively for CHS as well.

Goaltender Hope Taylor played a big role in the Lady Bulldogs' victory, as she made several tough saves and stopped 14 shots overall.

Fast learner

"Hope has stepped up and been a huge asset this year. She's a totally different player than she was at the start of the season. She's gone from an amateur to a seasoned goalie in a very short amount of time," said Browning.

Sam Skelton scored Wayne County's lone goal of the contest and fired six shots overall, while Reagan Skelton attempted seven shots. Lady Wildcat goalie Jessie Ray also turned in a strong performance and finished with 15 saves on the day.

After Ray caught two line drive shots by Elder early in the contest, Taylor thwarted a couple of scoring chances by Reagan Skelton prior to blocking a close range shot by Sam Skelton in the 21st minute.

Wayne County had another opportunity to take the lead in the 33rd minute when Reagan Skelton had an open shot in the middle of the field after getting behind the CHS defense, but Taylor came out of the net and blocked the shot to maintain the scoreless draw.

Tie broken

The Lady Bulldogs finally broke the stalemate in the 38th minute when Dunn took a pass from Foster in the middle of the field before dribbling in and firing a shot over Ray's head to give Cornersville a 1-0 lead.

Taylor made a leaping save on a shot by Reagan Skelton early in the second half, but Wayne County knotted the game at 1-1 a few moments later thanks to a goal by Sam Skelton in the 49th minute. Skelton brought the ball down the right side of the field before blasting a close range shot into the upper left hand corner of the net.

After Elder saw a shot go just wide of the net in the 21st minute, Ray made a leaping save on a line drive shot by Easterwood in the 35th minute to preserve the tie.

Fortune, however, smiled on the Lady Bulldogs in the waning moments of the contest, as Foster launched a 25-yard shot from the middle of the field that ricocheted off a Lady Wildcat defender and into the upper right hand corner of the net to give Cornersville the 2-1 victory.