Akala Jacobs' last-minute goal lifts Madison Central past Tupelo in 7A Quarterfinals
MADISON — Akala Jacobs was at the right place at the right time.
Jacobs scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute of the second half off a a corner kick to lift Madison Central past Tupelo 2-1 in the Second Round of the MHSAA Class 7A Soccer Playoffs on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Jaguars (19-1-1) host rival Clinton for the Class 7A North State Championship on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
“We work on corners all the time and we just talk to who takes the corner kick and where to put the ball," Jacobs said. "We got there and put the ball in the net and that’s what happened. At the end it just came down to who wanted it more and not giving up.”
Click here for more MHSAA boys and girls soccer playoff coverage
Madison Central jumped out to a 1-0 lead four minutes into the game, as Mary Frances Bourgeois scored off a rebound off the Tupelo goalkeeper off a free kick.
The scored stay the same until eight minutes into the second half, when Tupelo’s Jameyah Hubbard stole a pass and dribbled to the just past the 18-yard mark. Her shot went into the far-back corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
With just over a minute to play, Madison Central got the ball to just outside the six-yard marker. A shot deflected off a Tupelo defender across the back line to set up the corner kick from the left side. Maggie Johnson took the corner kick that went right to the middle of the box, where Jacobs was waiting to put the ball in the net.
MORE: SB Live Mississippi Girls Soccer Scoreboard
“I felt like today all of our corners were dangerous," Madison Central coach Cecil Hinds said. "We had chances to score, and we were fortunate enough to get one there at the end where the ball bounced our way and we put in the back of the net. This game was a battle, and the timing of it couldn’t have been better. Super excited for the girls because they were very focused coming in, and now we play a team in Clinton we’re very familiar with for North State.”
Tupelo finished the season 12-9. The Lady Wave only managed three shots on goal.
“Last time we came down here this year," Tupelo coach Shelley Miller said, "we got beat 5-0 and all goals were scored off free kicks and corner kicks. So we knew we couldn’t give (those) up and today both goals were off that. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls. They played extremely hard and have bought into what I’m asking. We’re a very young team and I told them to remember this feeling for next year.”
