PHOTO BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Freshman Megan Mason (8) weaves her way down the field during Tuesday's match against Killeen. Mason scored the only Badger goal in a 1-1 tie. The Lady Roos won the shootout. It might sound simple, but the Lady Badgers need to learn how to just chill out.

After playing to a 1-1 tie with Killeen Tuesday night, Lampasas tensed up and let the shootout slip away.

The final result put a damper on an otherwise impressive performance by the Lady Badgers who now sport a 1-2-2 record in district play.

"They need to relax and play soccer," head coach Mark Guszak said. "Our girls were super tense on the shootout, and I think that was due to the pressure of playing at home."

Other than letting the jitters get the best of them during the shootout, Guszak was extremely pleased with his squad's play.

"[They] played very well. [It] was one of the best games we played all year," the coach said. "I think this was a good game to build on. We had a great chance to win it, but we need to put that behind us and move forward."

Lampasas kicks off round two of its district schedule tonight against Hutto. The start is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.

Earlier this year, the Lady Badgers picked up their only district victory against the Lady Hippos, posting a four-goal shutout.

While it will be difficult to top the district-opening showing, Lampasas is displaying plenty of potential for the home stretch.

After dropping matches to district powerhouses Hendrickson and Lake Travis, the Lady Badgers are turning things around, just missing out on a pair of wins and settling for two ties in their most recent outings.

In each of the draws, goalie Liz Hawthorn has played an instrumental role while team captains Kassie Carpenter and Angel Waters were important to the Lady Badgers' midfield defense against the Lady Roos.

Offensively, freshman Megan Mason scored Lampasas' lone goal against Killeen.

"We have five freshmen playing for varsity, and all are being asked to play key roles," Guszak said. "We are still not a very explosive offensive team, so we will need our defense to stay strong."

On the boys' side, the Badgers lost control during the second half, giving up a pair of goals after the break before losing 3-1 to Killeen.

The Roos struck first, scoring on a direct kick with 32:01 remaining in the opening half. Six minutes later, the Badgers responded with a goal of their own as leading-scorer Jan Ludewig eluded defenders and found the back of the net for the Badgers' only score.

Lampasas (1-3-1 district) opens the second half of district play tonight, traveling to Hutto (0-5-0) for a 7:45 p.m. kickoff.