After facing Southeast Lauderdale’s Tay Roberts for the second time in as many weeks, it’s probably safe to say Quitman’s soccer team has seen enough of the skilled sophomore.

Roberts scored four of Southeast Lauderdale’s five goals to help give her team a 5-0 win against Quitman Thursday night.

The fiery underclassman credited a family member who once donned Southeast Lauderdale blue-and-white for fueling her competitive drive.

 “I started in seventh grade, and when I was younger, I watched my sister play soccer, and I came to practice and I learned from that,” said Roberts of her sister, Destiny Brewster. “In seventh grade, I worked my (way) up.”

Last week against Quitman, Roberts also recorded four goals, giving her eight in two games against the Lady Panthers. Multi-goal contests for her, however, aren’t anything new, as she tallied two against Neshoba Central on Nov. 14, and she ranks first on the team in goals scored with nine.

“We like her up there at the top because she’s out go-to person, and she’s our sparkplug and she kind of gets you going,” Southeast Lauderdale coach Mike Thomas said. “She’s been playing since she’s been in seventh grade, and in that position, she’s scored many goals for us here at Southeast, and she still has a couple of years to go.”

Roberts’ offense pushed the Lady Tigers ahead to a 2-0 halftime lead, and she quickly made her presence known in the second half. 

In the 44th minute, she booted another goal, and she followed with her second goal of the bottom half in the 46th minute to extend Southeast Lauderdale’s lead to 4-0.

“It’s not just about me,” Roberts said. “In order for me to score, my team has to help me. If I don’t make my goals or if I mess up, I get in trouble for that. I have to fix my mistakes to become better.”

Chloe Kinney, also a sophomore, added Southeast Lauderdale’s fifth goal in the 81st minute.  

The win moves Southeast Lauderdale to 4-5-1 on the young season, and it hosts Wayne County on Dec. 5. Quitman fell to 0-6, and hosts Newton County on Dec. 5.

“We’re tying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together — getting ready for our district play,” Thomas said. “We’ve been playing some teams that are higher classifications, getting us ready, and we’ve been competitive. I’m hoping that it’s going to make us strong as we enter district play in two weeks. And barring injury, I think that we should do very well in our classification when we get to district play.”

SEL BOYS 3, QUITMAN 1 

After taking a 2-1 lead into halftime, Dakota Boney recored his second goal of the night in the second half to give the Tigers a 3-1 win against the Panthers. 

Wade Parker scored a first-half goal for the Tigers, while Jack Wright gave Quitman its lone goal of the night in the first half.

Southeast Lauderdale (6-2-1) hosts Wayne County on Dec. 5, while Quitman (0-6) hosts Newton County on Dec. 5.