There was a sense of hope in the air when the Lady Rams took on the Lady Spartans of North Springs on Thursday evening. A moment of silence for fallen Ram, Carlvon Betts, before the game filled the stadium with a melancholy atmosphere, but it fueled Newton to a 2-1 win over North Springs.

Newton scored the first goal of the game when a Newton midfielder drilled a beautiful bomb over 35 yards out that dropped in over the Lady Spartan goalkeeper. After that it was pretty much a back and forth game of ball control in the first half with each team getting a few looks at a goal, but neither converting.

The Lady Rams were the first to score in the second half. In the 68th minute Newton stuck one to the left of the goalkeeper hitting the back of the net to take a 2-0 lead.

The Lady Spartans scored their first goal in the final minute of the game, and Newton was able to hold them off as time winded down.

Lady Rams head coach, David Alexander, said after the game that team needed that win. It was a great way to honor Betts.

With their faces painted with ‘CB’ on one side and No. 2 on the other, the Rams represented Betts at the highest level. They fell 8-0, but Newton played their hearts out.

Even in the end down by eight the players were fighting just to score one goal. Many of them were crying on the field before and after the game. They didn’t get the win, but the fight the team displayed was everything a former player would be proud of.