MICHAEL KIRAL

PHOTO: DESTREHAN’S BRITTANY MCCLUNG chases down a pass ahead of Lafayette’s Simone Nugent in first half action Friday afternoon. (Staff Photo by Michael Kiral) DESTREHAN – The Lafayette Lady Lions show they are not your typical second place team against Destrehan in the Division bi-district playoffs Friday afternoon. Lafayette, which finished behind Acadiana in District 6-I despite a 26-2 record, jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held off a Destrehan charge on the way to a 4-0 victory. Lafayette advanced to play Northshore in the regionals last night. Destrehan concluded its season after winning the District 10-I championship. Lafayette controlled the action early on with Kelly Russo sending in the first shot that was grabbed by Destrehan goal keeper Megan Legendre. Katie Sporer followed with a shot from outside the box after a steal by Virginia Simon that sailed high. Legendre made another save off a shot by Ellen DeClouet. Lafayette broke onto the scoreboard at the 11-minute mark as Simone Nugent sent a long pass ahead to DeClouet. DeClouet chased down the ball, split two defenders in the middle of the field and knocked the shot into the left side of the net for a 1-0 lead. Destrehan then went on the offensive as Liz Green chased down a pass by Pely’r Ordoyne but had her shot knocked away by Russo. Rachel Young took a deflection on the right side of the goal a minute later but shot wide left. Jessica Ladreyt then headed in a shot that was grabbed by Lafayette goal keeper Julianna Serbeck. Lafayette regained possession and Simon moved in from the right side. Her first two shots were deflected but she rammed in her third shot into the right side of the net, giving the Lady Lions a 2-0 lead at the 31-minute mark. Destrehan had one last chance as the time ran down in the half as Ladreyt sent in a corner kick that was snared by Serbeck in a crowd. The Lady Wildcats got the ball back with Kara Roussel centering a pass to Green whose header went wide. With the change of sides in the second half came a change in momentum. Destrehan immediately went on the attack as Green took a shot that was deflected by Michelle Slattery, got the rebound and knocked in a shot that was grabbed by Serbeck. Roussel then tried a shot from the right side that was caught by Serbeck. Lafayette came up with a key defensive play at the 10-minute mark as Legendre, who had been moved from goalie at halftime, took a pass ahead and moved in. Legendre took a shot from the left side that was grabbed by Serbeck, got the rebound and angled a shot toward the right side of the net. But Valerie Mertz was there to knock it aside, keeping the score 2-0. Legendre took another shot a minute later that was grabbed by Serbeck. Cynthia Rodriguez followed with shot a the 22-minute mark that just missed the top of the net. Lafayette got an insurance goal a minute later as DeClouet sent a kick in from the right side from 25 yards out that was headed in by Ashlie Wilder, making it 3-0. After a corner kick by Ladreyt was grabbed by Serbeck, Jacie Daigle took the ball downfield for the Lady Lions and crossed a pass to DeClouet. DeClouet angled the kick from the right side that found the top of the goal, building the lead to 4-0 at the 30-minute mark. Shots by Ladreyt and Brittany McClung would be knocked down by Slattery and Mertz in the final seven minutes.