Soccer team honors seniors

Vandalia’s soccer team celebrated its seniors on Tuesday, during halftime of a 6-1 loss to Lincolnwood.

Photo by Andrew Harner

Vandalia senior Emily Miles battles a Lincolnwood player during Tuesday's match. She was one of seven seniors honored.

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Photo by Andrew Harner

Senior members of the Vandalia soccer team were honored at halftime of Tuesday's game against Lincolnwood. They are pictured above with family members. The athletes, from left, are: Emily Miles, Bailey Cearlock, A.J. Gaylord, Sawyer Dickenson, Jeff Bradley, statkeeper Andrew Daley and Makenzie Roberts.

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Colin Ledbetter scored his second goal of the season on the fourth assist of the year from Jussi Craycroft.

Blake Torbeck had 10 saves in-goal, while Bailey Cearlock added three for Vandalia (0-15-1)

After the game, coach Walt Kinney commented on each of his seniors.

A.J. Gaylord
“He’s a little more out-spoken now, but he’s still that strong silent type,” Kinney said of one of his captains. “We have him at center-mid, and there’s a reason. He’s probably got the best touch out of anybody on the team.”

Jeff Bradley
“He’s my voice out on the field,” Kinney said of his other captain. “He’s got more hustle than most, gets things done and doesn’t ask questions.”

Makenzie Roberts
“Her injury (neck) prevented her from playing in these final games,” Kinney said. “She’s the only lefty on the team, so losing her hurts a lot.”

Emily Miles
“She’s told me before that she doesn’t play because she’s any good, she plays to stay in shape” Kinney said. “But, she’s improved a lot this year, and has started most of the games.”

Sawyer Dickenson
“He has a pretty strong foot on him, but he’s dealt with a couple of injuries, so he hasn’t gotten to play as much as we would like,” Kinney said of his speedy forward. “He got his first goal this season, and that was exciting to see.”

Bailey Cearlock
“She’s one of the stronger girls we have on the team,” Kinney said. “She was always willing to do whatever was asked of her.”

Andrew Daley
“He’s been with us for about three years now, and comes to almost every game,” Kinney said of the team’s statkeeper. “He runs the books for us, and does a great job.”

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Last Thursday, the Vandals tied their season-high in scoring during a 5-2 loss at Satunton.

Junior Colin Ledbetter and Jussi Craycroft each scored during the game. The goals were Ledbetter’s first in his career, and Craycroft’s second of the season.

Gaylord had his first assist of the season on Ledbetter’s goal, while Craycroft’s was unassistsed.

Blake Torbeck had 15 saves in-goal for the Vandals (0-14-1).

*The original story incorrectly identified Andrew Daley. We apologize for the error.