CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

RUSSELL — Martin County Middle School’s soccer team advances to the final four in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) tournament after defeating East Carter 2-0 in the first round.

After rain delayed the tournament, the Lady Cards and East Carter finally took the wet and muddy field May 15 at host Russell Middle School. The first half saw limited offensive action due to field conditions, but Martin County overcame these obstacles after the break.

The Lady Cards started the second half by quickly moving the ball and connecting some passes. Minutes into the half, Annaleigh Davis got past East Carter’s defense to score a goal and give Martin County a 1-0 lead.

East Carter began moving the ball as well and had several near misses in the half.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Davis scored her second goal to finish the game with a victory for Martin County.

Martin County coach Steven Gauze expressed pride in his team’s performance.

“Proud of these girls today and how they adjusted to the field conditions,” Gauze said. “We passed the ball a lot, but with all this mud and standing water, it was almost impossible. Even with those circumstances, they kept working hard. In the second half we were able to score some goals and advance to the next round.”

The tournament follows the completion of district play, where Johnson Central claimed the top spot in the East District and Martin County finished as runner-up. West Carter claimed the top spot in the West District with East Carter finishing as runner-up. Russell won the Central District while Boyd County won runner-up.

All six district finalists advanced to the OVC tournament, determined by a blind draw last weekend.

After additional rain delays, Martin County is set to face Russell at 8 p.m. May 21.

Johnson Central also moves forward to the final four and will face West Carter, though the date for that match has yet to be announced.