One of the things a team most wants to avoid in the first round of the regional soccer playoffs is letting an underdog stick around until the waning moments.
The Douglas girls' soccer team found that out last season, needing a late goal to dispatch of the lower-seeded Spanish Springs in the first round at Damonte Ranch.
There were no such problems Tuesday night as the Lady Tigers rode a pair of early goals to a 5-0 win over Reed in Minden.
Katie Dry, who scored the winning goal against Spanish Springs last season, scored the first of her two Tuesday night goals in the third minute after working her way past a Reed defender and placing a shot to the far post.
Tia Lyons added a nice goal on a long assist from Lacey Marsh in the 11th minute.
"That (having a big start) is always what you want to do," Douglas coach Lorraine Fitzhugh said. "We had our gameplan, which was to come out of the gates and try to deflate the other team. Reed won the coin flip for the kickoff and they put us on our heels for the first couple of minutes.
"They were the underdog, but I knew they had improved. They came with a strategy of sending four or five players at a time in transition which put some pressure on us.
"The girls had to adjust and I was happy with how they reacted. They handled the numbers pretty well and were able to turn it around pretty quick. They are maturing as a group, learning how to motivate each other and respond."
Alex Laing scored in the 22nd minute to push the lead to 3-0, where it remained through halftime.
Aspen Abbott added a goal in the 62nd minute and Dry capped the scoring with a goal in stoppage time off an assist from Erica Macias.
Douglas will play in the regional semifinals Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Damonte Ranch against Damonte Ranch , who were upset winners over Reno Tuesday night.
