LANETT — The Springwood soccer team (9-2) lost on senior night to Macon-East 2-1 after a round of penalty kicks.

“It wasn’t our best game, for sure,” Springwood head soccer coach Jon Lanier said. “I think what’s going to determine things for us moving forward is how we’re going to react to this. If we realize it wasn’t our best game, we pick it up and take if far- we’ve got really hard games coming from here on out. It’s all going to be a matter of how the guys are going to react to what happened tonight.”

After a scoreless first half, the Wildcats caught a break when Macon-East gave up an own goal with 38:15 remaining in the second half. With 16:46 to go in the second half, Macon-East scored the equalizer off of a corner kick. 

In the final minutes of regulation, senior Mitchum Smith made a couple of saves to preserve the score, while the Wildcats missed on a few opportunities to strike while in the box.

“Honestly, I think the whole team had an off night,” Lanier said. “I don’t think it was one particular person. We win as a team, we lose as a team. I think if you ask every single one of those guys that got minutes, they are going to say that they didn’t play their best game.”

Macon-East’s goalkeeper was the first striker in penalty kicks, which he made. Springwood junior Coleman Hull and sophomore Kannon Key missed their kicks. Hull’s went off of the top left crossbar, while Key was given two opportunities. After missing the first one, Key was given another chance because the referee said that Macon-East’s goalkeeper jumped off the goal line too soon. In the second attempt, the goalkeeper corralled Key’s attempted on his right side and gave his Macon-East teammates a rallying cry.

The assistants and senior Eric Fuller spoke to the team for an extended period of time after the game discussing the loss and how to prevent a game like that from happening again for the remainder of the year.

“It’s all going to depend on how much these guys want it,” Lanier said. “We’ve still got the goals that we have, so now’s the time that we take that frustration and channel that, change some of the things that we’re doing wrong. It’s just a matter of how do you channel that frustration. How do you put that into practice?”

Seniors Thomas Beall, Charles Cowart, Trent Craft, Jake Thrailkill, Fuller and Smith were recognized on senior night. All six of the seniors plan to attend college in the fall.

“I am extremely proud of this senior class,” Lanier said. “This group of young men has helped lay a foundation for this two-year-old Springwood soccer program that I believe will lead to years of success. Not only are they leaders on the field and in the locker room, but they are excellent ambassadors for Springwood School. It has been an honor to be their coach. I wish them all great success in their future endeavors and pray the Lord’s blessings be upon them.”

Springwood wraps up the regular season at home against Glenwood on April 9 before the first round of the state playoffs begins on April 15. The Wildcats clinched the chance to host the first round of the playoffs after a win at Lee-Scott this past Tuesday.