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Lady Dogs' junior Camp Stamps dribbles the ball downfield. She had the game's first goal on Tuesday against Long County. LANCE MCCURLEY/Staff
The top-seeded Morgan County girls soccer team started off its playoff run with a convincing 5-0 win over No. 4 seed Long County on Tuesday.
In Tuesday's matchup, Morgan County struck first on the scoreboard as junior Camp Stamps netted a goal on an assist from senior Sidda Outlaw.
The Lady Dogs didn't take long to score again as a Lady Blue Tide defender was called for a foul, which set up Rylee Bernard for a free kick. The junior made the most of her opportunity and launched the ball into the back of the net, giving Morgan County a 2-0 lead.
The first half concluded with the Lady Dogs up 3-0 over Long County. Outlaw added a goal with under five minutes left as she dribbled the ball past defenders and sunk it into the back of the net from just inside the box.
It was safe to say the Lady Blue Tide were out of gas. However, Morgan County wasn't done just quite yet as it wanted to play a full 40-minute match.
The Lady Dogs displayed patience at first as they played up and down the pitch, although things started to ramp up after the first 10 minutes of the second half.
Morgan County's communication was on-point as it helped lead the offense to score two more goals before the final whistle blew.
Outlaw netted her second and final goal of the contest as she dribbled the ball past Lady Blue Tide defenders, and lightly tapped it past the goalie. Junior Lofton Cathey then capped off the scoring for the Lady Dogs against Long County with a goal of her own.
Morgan County's offense might have shined, but its defense also deserves credit for the win, too. Lady Dogs' senior defender Daphne Lopez played soundly, not letting Long County advance past midfield for most of the game. When the Lady Blue Tide did, goalie McKinsey Williams wouldn't let it past her. The sophomore keeper posted her 12th clean sheet of the 2023 season on Tuesday.
Morgan County advances to the second round of the Class AAA state playoffs for a third consecutive season under head coach Anne Stamps.
The Lady Dogs (15-1-1) move on to the Sweet 16 and face No. 3 seed Jackson (9-7-2) on Monday at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Red Devils edged out No. 2 seed Thomasville 1-0 earlier this week.