The same jersey No. 15 roams up top for the Lady Warriors. The same last name, too.
But, it’s Zylah Mulligan and not older sister, Lonnie.
The junior striker sports a chunky brace on her right knee as she races down the field as one of the Lady Warriors’ go-to goal scorers. Mulligan, who played in just three games with two goals last season, suffered a torn ACL as a sophomore that prevented her from playing one last high school season with her sister. Lonnie ended up finishing her senior season last year with 39 goals before joining the Ole Miss soccer program.
As a freshman, when the two did share the field, Zylah scored five goals.
Zylah didn’t always wear the No. 15 jersey, because that was her sister’s number. Zylah wore No. 11 her first couple of seasons with the Lady Warriors, but coach Clay Smith offered the younger sister a chance to earn the number.
“(Smith) said if I worked hard during the preseason and I earned that number he’d give it to me,” Mulligan said. “I’m glad I showed him that I could wear this number with pride.”
When home from Ole Miss, Lonnie is at Oak Grove games ready to give her little sister some advice, too.
“She’s my role model,” Mulligan said. “At halftime (Monday), after coach got done talking with us, I went to her and asked, ‘What can I do better?’ I really look up to her as a player and forward.”
Coming back from the ACL injury, it kept Mulligan out for seven months in what she called a “hard process” for her. Regaining the muscle in her leg and her speed is still a process, she says, and even though the knee brace isn’t ideal, she’s working to get back to full strength.
The brace is annoying, but it doesn’t hinder her playing abilities.
“It really changed me as a player,” she said of her injury. “I gained a lot of knowledge that I didn’t know before by just watching instead of playing on the field. Sitting on the sidelines was very beneficial for me. It was hard, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Coming off an appearance in the south state title game a season ago, the Lady Warriors haven’t played too many games this season, but they’ve posted a 2-1-1 record so far through four games. Mulligan will be a key factor in the team’s success, but Oak Grove has plenty of weapons. Senior Maggie Starns and freshman Kayla Herring both lead the team with two goals each, as the Lady Warriors look to repeat last year’s success.
In the three preseason games, however, Mulligan tallied two goals, three assists and 16 shots. The Lady Warriors have a lot of team speed, and that should help them be another dominant 6A team again this season.
Oak Grove holds wins over Northwest Rankin and Meridian while suffering its first loss Monday to Brandon. The Lady Warriors also tied Madison Central earlier this month, and they’ll travel to rival Petal on Friday.
“We’re really technical, and we’ve all played Select with each other so we know each other. We know our strengths,” Mulligan said. “When we work harder, it’s going to pay off and we’ll see the results we want.”
