Both Loyd Star soccer teams are led by head coach Jordan Lea, both Loyd Star soccer teams are 10-1 on the season, and  both Loyd Star soccer teams are 3-0 in Region 7-Class I after getting wins over Franklin County on Monday in Meadville.

Loyd Star 1, Franklin County 0 (Girls)

The lone loss of the season for Hornets was a shootout defeat to Brookhaven High after the teams finished regulation tied 2-2 in a tournament game.

On Monday, Loyd Star got its lone goal from Abby Burnette off an Adi Holcomb assist. Burnette, a Copiah-Lincoln CC softball signee, has scored 22 goals in 11 games thus far. Holcomb is second on the team with 11 goals scored.

Franklin County (3-3-4) swept Loyd Star last season and the teams split their two meetings the year before that.

“All season long the message has been the same to the girls, be us,” said Lea. “Don’t be anyone else, be us. When we play like we can, we can do some truly wonderful things on the soccer field. Tonight was a prime example of this.”

Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Reed made four saves in the win.

“When we play as a team, we are a force to be reckoned with,” said Lea. “From the keeper and the back line up to with the midfielders and forwards, we played a complete game as a team. We’ve been waiting to have a big statement game and that’s what we were able to accomplish tonight.”

Loyd Star 1, Franklin County 0 (Boys)

Like their female counterparts, the only loss of the season for the Loyd Star boys’ team was a 1-0 defeat to Brookhaven High in a tournament match.

The victory over Franklin County was the first time for the Hornets to beat the Bulldogs in recent memory. FC hadn’t dropped a boys’ match to the Hornets since at least when coach Jeff Long took over in Meadville in 2013.

The loss moved Franklin County to 6-2-2 on the season.

Senior Nathan Mills, playing soccer this season while splitting time as a basketball starter, scored the lone goal for the Hornets. Senior Cooper Reid picked up the assist on the goal.

“You always have certain dates on your schedule that you circle,” said Lea. “This one has been circled ever since the schedule was completed back in the spring. The boys have been wanting this one since being swept by FC last season.”

Senior goalkeeper Jaden Lea, another first-year player for Loyd Star who transferred from Brookhaven Academy to play for his older brother, made nine saves in goal to earn the clean sheet.

“Coming in, we knew that if we played our game and stuck to our game plan, we would come out on top and that’s exactly what we did tonight,” said Lea. “Offensively, we capitalized on a scoring chance and defensively, we were lights out. You have to play exceptional defense against a well coached team like FC and that’s exactly what we were able to do.”

Loyd Star is scheduled to next play on Thursday when the Hornets will host West Lincoln.