Rain washes out Union, Midway girls

Old rivals Midway and Union hit the soccer field on Monday night, trying to dodge inclement weather and sneak in an early-week match up in Spivey’s Corner. Their efforts fell short, though, as heavy rain and a lengthy lightning delay prompted the game to be postponed until further notice.

The weather wasn’t too bad at the start of the contest, with cloud cover and a brisk wind making the onset of the game a bit of a chilly affair, but things, at the moment, were dry.

The Lady Raiders held possession for most of the opening minutes and occasionally worked their way deep into the Lady Spartans’ zone. Union’s defense held their ground, though, and initially kept Midway out of the attack.

As the minutes ticked by, the rain began to move in. Light at first, the rain gradually picked up in intensity and, driven by the wind, conditions quickly got ugly. Through it all, the Lady Raiders continued to assault the Lady Spartans’ goal.

With 35:32 on the clock, Ava Hijma took control of the ball straightway of the net and got in close. She fired a shot on goal that made its way past the keeper, putting Midway on the board at 1-0.

After the score, the Lady Raiders continued to attack. The rain, though, only intensified and a flash of lightning was spotted over the stadium. A check of the radar showed the strike to be within 10 miles of the school, prompting the bleachers to be cleared and a 30-minute lightning delay to be called.

As the delay ticked on, a look at the radar showed a solid shield of heavy rain moving into the area. Just minutes before the delay was to be over, the decision was made to postpone the game until further notice. When the game was stopped, there was still 26:18 left in the first half.

Left on the schedule this week for Midway is another home game with North Johnston on Thursday. For Union, they were scheduled to be right back on the field on Tuesday at Spring Creek.