They were down 2-0 at halftime, but the Troy 13U soccer tournament team scored four goals in the second half of the championship game against Eufaula to bring an Alabama Recreation & Parks Association district title back to Troy with a 4-2 win.

“We just started clicking in the second half,” head coach Doug McLendon said. “We told them at halftime that they just needed to relax and play your heart out for the next half.”

Troy’s all-stars took down Ozark 5-0 in the first round of the round robin tournament between the three teams. With their 4-2 victory over Eufaula Troy won the outright title and the chance to play in the state tournament in Dothan Nov. 15.

“Once we got behind we got desperate,” McLendon said. “But when we got over that in the second half, we started to play smart and we had opportunities for our forwards to slip behind their defenders and score some goals.”

Nathan Fox, Brantley LeCroy, Becca Hartley and Alexander Dorrity each scored one goal in the championship against Eufaula.

LeCroy recorded a hat trick with three goals and Fox had a brace with two goals in the opening game against Ozark. But McLendon said the biggest part of the two games was the defensive effort.

“Our defense was really tough today,” he said. “We won some balls at the middle of the field and pushed it up the field all day. Our defense really clamped down when we needed them late in the games. We seemed to be in better condition that the other team in the first game.”

The 13U district champs will compete in the state tournament in Dothan Nov. 15.