CFCA Lady Lancers win second-straight championship with 2-1 second-half surge over Westminster

Central Fellowship Christian Academy won its second straight state championship with their strong attack and solid defense in a 2-1 win against Westminster Christian Academy on Tuesday.

The Lady Lancers were led to victory by sophomore Lois Tanner, who finished with two goals, and junior goalkeeper Emory Andrews.

When asked how it feels to win back-to-back championships, CFCA head coach Teddy Tanner had only four words. 

“It feels pretty good,” he said.  

However, the win was not an easy one, with the Lady Lancers being tested by the Westminster Lions and their star striker Faith Lawhead. 

“We have a lot of respect for her,” Tanner said of Lawhead. His team had already faced the Lions once during the regular season and was familiar with their key player.

Energy was high, with the sound of ringing cowbells and the cheers of the crowd shaking the stands as the players took the field. 

The game started off with heavy possession by Westminster, keeping the ball in their final third of the pitch for most of the first half. 

While the possession win went to Westminster, Central Fellowship returned with heavy counters throughout. 

The Lancers almost collected the first goal of the game after a goal scored by junior Morgan Riley was called back after an offsides call. 

Westminster kept their foot on the pedal as they continued to create shot attempts despite a tough Lancer backfield. 

Lawhead attempted to gain an assist after a well-placed through ball to Riley, who missed the goal attempt just wide of the goalpost. 

Westminster’s midfield was proving to be a formidable opponent with senior Lion Ansley Hovater taking control of almost every ball hit her way. 

Although Westminster was winning the defensive battle, their attack could not break the goal line with Andrews collecting three saves in the first.

Most of the first half occurred in the middle third of the pitch with no one wanting to give up any space.  With both teams playing hard defense they ended the half tied at 0-0. 

There would be less of a defensive struggle in the second half, as both teams started to heat up offensively.

The Lancers started the half with possession of the ball and made sure to take advantage of the opportunity — within the first five minutes of the second half they put up a shot attempt. 

Lady Lancer Layla Wagner attempted the second shot of the half and while it got blocked, Tanner came around with the rebound. Tanner then lined up her shot and scored the first goal of the game in the bottom right of the net. 

With no offside calls in sight, the score was now 1-0 Lancers. 

It wasn’t much longer until the Lancers caught a break to give them another advantage. 

Westminster junior Josie Stanger committed a foul against the Lancers within the box, sending Tanner to the line for a penalty kick. 

Tanner went right back to the bottom right corner to score the penalty kick and make the score 2-0.

The Lady Lancers took this quick start and used it to fuel the rest of the game as they controlled most of the possession in the second half, but Westminster was not going to go out without a fight.  

The Lions shifted their formation into a 4-3-3 with a sweeper in the backfield.

This was to try and pull more offside calls and stop the runs the Lancers had been producing. 

Westminster also had been playing Lawhead in a center back position throughout the game, however the tide seemed to turn when they put her into an attacking position. 

Within a few minutes, the repositioning proved to be the right move. 

Lawhead rocketed in the first goal for the Lions, making the score 2-1 Lancers. 

Anxiety in the stands was high as the Lions continually led charge after charge into the final third of the pitch.

The Lancers began to adjust to this new formation and Andrews collected three more saves within the second half. 

While the Lions efforts were valiant, they couldn’t break through to a tying goal. 

The final minute ran out and the crowd began to go wild as the Lady Lancers secured back-to-back championships. 

Lancers head coach Teddy Tanner and his team’s cheers could be heard around the entire stadium.

With this being the second time both teams had faced each other, the Lancers already knew the talent that the Lions had with Lawhead. 

The Lancers had put in the work and it had finally paid off.