Norris' Spartans snare two wins

In a three day span, the Alexander Spartans were able to bring their overall record above the .500 mark, register a clean sheet, and grab an emotional trophy win at a rival’s home sod.

On Thursday, Todd Norris’s team battled a determined Athens Bulldog side and left home with a victory and the Albano Cup. With each squad matching the other for intensity, the first half ended with no goals on the scoreboard in this cross-county rivalry.

According to Norris, Alexander began the second half with an attacking mentality which lead to serious scoring threats. They broke through with a combination between senior Megan Cheadle and McKenna Moore. Cheadle played a pass across the goal area and Moore ran onto the offering tucking it into the net for the first counter of a tight match.

Brooklyn Watkins smashed a forty yard shot later in the half that ended up in the back of the frame to up the lead to 2-0.

Ella Chapman figured into the Bulldog counter to shave the lead to 2-1 but the Spartan defense was able to hold the lead and bring the trophy back to Albany. Norris credited his team for executing the game plan, working with strong defense, and playing their style.

With their record now even on the season, they hosted the Peebles Indians on Saturday for a noon matchup. Norris commented that he wanted to see how his group reacted after an emotional game. His concern was realized as the Spartans were not sharp in the first half and carried a 1-0 lead at the end based on a Peebles own goal.

The second stanza saw the Spartans regain their mojo as they brought the attack almost continually to the visitors. As a result, Alexander dominated the action. When the dust settled, Eliza Blaney had chalked up two goals, Brooklyn Watkins scored one as did Arbor Albano. Karah Allison had two assists and Megan Cheadle had one.

With the 5-0 victory, Norris commented that he was able to get some quality minutes for his bench and mentioned that Abby Sanders had a solid outing. With the tournament looming, he said that these kind of performances are critical. Now trending, the Spartans have won four of their last six matches and will travel to North Adams next Saturday.