By Dinos Simcox

On Thursday, Oct 29, the Meridian Mustangs defeated the Western Albemarle Warriors 1-0 to claim the regional championship, getting revenge for their region finals loss to the Warriors this time last season, as well as keeping their perfect record intact at 19-0.

The game was a back-and-forth slugfest, with neither team finding the back of the net the entire first half. Despite being deadlocked at 0-0, the Mustangs were clearly the better team, keeping the ball on the Western Albemarle side of the field for the majority of the game and had more scoring opportunities.

The Mustangs’ best chance finally came early in the second half. With a little over 12 minutes left in the third period, a lucky bounce off the Western Albemarle goalie put the ball in position for a wide open goal at point blank range. Sophomore Lenea Paradiso was the one to tap the ball into the goal for the only score of the contest.

“It was a great feeling, I thought we could’ve gotten another one. We felt that we dominated a little more. [Western Albemarle] only had one offensive corner all game,” coach Steenhoek commented.

Throughout the game, The Mustangs’ offense was putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the Warriors defense and goalie. Ultimately, the volume of shots Meridian had on goal paid dividends.

“At this stage in the season, the players keep themselves focused. I can’t say there’s anything I’m doing. They just know that we’re in it and they believe. It definitely takes some pressure off of me!” Head coach Anne Steenhoek said after the win.

While the victory was a monumental achievement, the Mustangs will soon have to turn their attention to the state quarterfinals. Their opponent has yet to be determined, but Meridian will be hosting the game on

“We’re gonna continue what we’ve been doing, nothing fancy, just keeping things rolling as is,”Coach Steenhoek said