Bowling Green freshman Catherine Walker electrified the home crowd with a dazzling goal off a pinpoint pass from teammate Ella Farley just 12 minutes into Thursday’s first regular-season matchup against District 14 rival Greenwood.

One minute later, Greenwood’s Alexa Ketchem snatched all those good feelings away with an answering goal.

Momentum gone? Not really.

The Lady Purples withstood Greenwood’s equalizer, regrouping to score a pair of second-half goals to take a 3-1 victory at Bowling Green Junior High School.

“Greenwood has a very talented offense and defense, but we just talked about how we can’t get down if they get on us,” Bowling Green sophomore Whitaker Buchanan said. “Last year we learned that – they got up on us 2-0, but we came back and won 3-2. So we knew they might get up or we might be tied, but we always had to keep pushing through.”

Bowling Green (9-3-2 overall, 4-0 District 14) won all three matchups against the Lady Gators last season, after Greenwood had won all three meetings the previous season. The win was a good sign for the Lady Purples, who expect to see Greenwood again in the District 14 and Region 4 championship games – after all, the two programs have met every year for those titles since 2000.

The Lady Purples flashed a quick-strike capability on Walker’s opening goal, then did so again in the second half when Buchanan collected a ball on the side of the penalty area, cut across horizontal to the net and flicked a left-footed shot into the right corner past Lady Gators keeper Elizabeth DeMarse to put her team up 2-1 just six minutes into the second half.

Bowling Green needed insurance, and senior Emma Wilgruber provided it with 17 minutes to play. Wilgruber unleashed a rising shot from inside the penalty that DeMarse got her fingertips on and nearly pulled back before the ball slipped away and dribbled across the line.

“I thought she was going to save it because she’s tall, but I saw it go off her fingertips and roll in,” Wilgruber said. “So I was like, ‘OK, I guess it went in.’ ”

Greenwood (7-1-1, 2-1) kept pushing, challenging Lady Purples freshman goalkeeper Caroline Miller with numerous shots in the second half. Miller, who has been slowly eased into a starting role while sharing time with sophomore Natalie Mills, who temporarily shifted from a field position to between the posts to provide depth.

Miller finished with nine saves.

“She was definitely challenged tonight,” Bowling Green coach Lisa Correa said. “I thought she made some really nice saves. She was vocal in the back and in a position to make the saves. She’s really been coming along and training hard. She was ready for this game and she lived up to it.”

Correa liked what she saw from her team against the Lady Gators.

“We knew it was going to be a battle going in, two tough teams,” Correa said. “I think the girls were in the right mindset to start the game. We came out real aggressive. When we win the ball, we counter well and play the balls in. I was just really proud of them tonight.”

The Lady Purples are back in action Saturday at Ensworth (Tenn.) in Nashville. Greenwood hosts South Warren on Monday.{&end}