TEA – Aberdeen Central got back in the win column Tuesday, claiming a 4-2 non-conference girls’ soccer win over Tea Area just days after a short-handed loss at Harrisburg over the weekend.

The Golden Eagles netted two goals in the first eight minutes of play, both off the foot of Kailyn Poppen. Central was never truly threatened after that despite a goal in each half from the Titans.

“The girls did a good job of staying organized,” said Central coach Merle Aske. “They played a high line so we had to be conscious of not running offside all the time.”

After Tea Area sliced Central’s lead in half with a goal in the 27th minute, Taylor Lyke boosted it back to a two-goal margin with her score in the 39th minute.

Lauren Joosten found the net in the second half for the Golden Eagles’ fourth goal of the game.

“We controlled the pace of the game,” Aske said. “Even though they scored a couple goals … we did a good job of staying in control and not giving them many opportunities.”

Central, now 6-2 on the year, will host Watertown next Monday to kick off the homestretch of the regular season. The Golden Eagles have just four matches remaining in the regular season, three of which are home contests.

“These next four games are going to be crucial for seeding,” Aske noted, adding that there’s an added level of pride playing at home. “There are some other teams with good records and we’ve dropped a couple. We’ll have to make sure we hold serve.”

Aberdeen Central 3 1 – 4

Tea Area 1 1 – 2

First half: 1, AC, Kailyn Poppen (Deshani Peters), 1st minute; 2, AC, Poppen (unassisted), 8th minute; 3, TA, Kia Leander (unassisted), 27th minute; 4, AC, Taylor Lyke (Madyson Gillen), 39th minute.

Second half: 5, AC, Lauren Joosten (unassisted), 57th minute; 6, TA, Aftyn Murray (unassisted), 61st minute.

Shots: Aberdeen Central 27 (14 on goal); Tea Area 21 (11 on goal).

Goalies: Aberdeen Central, Ciara Frank (9 saves); Tea Area, Maddie Boatz (10 saves).