Eastern’s Mckinzie Dotson (15, facing away from the camera), Tabitha Schumacher (18, middle) and Rylee Leonard (9, right) celebrate Schumacher’s second goal against Fairfield. Photo by Garth Shanklin.

Eastern’s Mckinzie Dotson (15, facing away from the camera), Tabitha Schumacher (18, middle) and Rylee Leonard (9, right) celebrate Schumacher’s second goal against Fairfield. Photo by Garth Shanklin.

<p>Eastern’s Tabitha Schumacher tallied two goals for the Lady Warriors in the team’s 3-0 win over Fairfield in the district semifinals on Monday, October 24. Photo by Garth Shanklin.</p>

Eastern’s Tabitha Schumacher tallied two goals for the Lady Warriors in the team’s 3-0 win over Fairfield in the district semifinals on Monday, October 24. Photo by Garth Shanklin.

<p>Eastern’s Alyssa Perkins made several key saves in the Lady Warriors’ win over Fairfield. Photo by Garth Shanklin.</p>

Eastern’s Alyssa Perkins made several key saves in the Lady Warriors’ win over Fairfield. Photo by Garth Shanklin.

Eastern Brown’s girls soccer team will compete for a district title for a second consecutive season following a 3-0 thumping of Southern Hills Athletic Conference foe Fairfield in Piketon on Monday, October 24.

“The girls hustled, [they] were very aggressive going to the ball,” Eastern head coach Dan Silvis said. “I think in the first half we were a little sloppy. We could have passed the ball better in the second half, but I’m never happy until we do it perfectly. The girls played well.”

Neither team scored for most of the first half but Fairfield certainly had a few chances. The Lady Indians forced Eastern goalkeeper Alyssa Perkins to save a free kick from near midfield in the sixth minute, a free kick from just outside the penalty area in the 10th minute and a shot in transition in the 13th minute.

Despite all of those chances, Eastern’s keeper was able to keep the Lady Indians at bay for the full 80 minutes.

“She’s turned into a top-notch keeper,” Silvis said. “From a kid who’s never played that position, she took over from her sister. She never played and now she’s one of the top keepers in the league.”

With the game scoreless as time winded down in the first half, Eastern’s Mckinzie Dotson put the Lady Warriors ahead 1-0 on a shot floated into the top of the net over a leaping goalkeeper. Eastern led 1-0 at the break.

“You score a goal and the girls get pumped up,” Silvis said. “How many times have you seen a team score a goal and the other team comes right back and scores a goal? That’s what I was a little concerned about.”

Fairfield nearly made those fears a reality, sending a shot off the crossbar two minutes into the second half. Instead, three minutes later, Tabitha Schumacher played a ball in the box off her shoulder and found the back of the net to give the Lady Warriors a 2-0 lead.

Shumacher wasn’t done. In the 24th minute, Eastern’s Rylee Leonard ripped a shot off a Fairfield turnover. The ball was tipped into the air where it hit off the crossbar and fell to Shumacher, who redirected it into the net off her chest for her second goal of the game.

“We’re proud of them,” Silvis said. “The first time we played Fairfield, we tied 1-1. They scored a PK early in the second half and we ended up scoring with a minute left. I thought we were the better team and I told them before the game, ‘I thought we were the better team.’”

With the win, Eastern advances to the district finals at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 27. The Lady Warriors will face another SHAC foe, Lynchburg-Clay, at Waverly.