Crystal Sims didn't just create the pivotal moment Thursday night at Mansfield Stadium.

She finished it.

And with a deft flick of her left foot in the 71st minute, Sims sent the Madison Memorial girls soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Madison West in a matchup of Big Eight Conference contenders.

The goal made Spartans first-year coach Ben Voss look pretty smart, too. He had his players spend a sizable portion of Wednesday's practice working on set pieces.

And they sure knew what to do when Sims drew a foul on the edge of the 18-yard box. Junior midfielder McKenzie Genin's low drive from the right found Sims, who beat Regents backup goalkeeper Cristin Fitzpatrick.

"We've been practicing set pieces," Sims said. " 'Mac' and I were like, 'It's gonna come. It's gonna come, and then it finally came.' We were composed on the ball."

That finished off a cruel night for West, which Voss admitted "definitely had more of the run of play."

But while the Regents (1-2-1, 1-1 Big Eight) might have generated more chances -- although most of them came on scrambles in the box -- it was Memorial (3-0-1, 2-0) that produced the more clear-cut threats.

Genin also set up the Spartans' first goal, sending junior Kendra Loch into the right side of the box with a through ball. Loch took one touch before striking a shot into the top right corner of the net to give Memorial a sixth-minute lead.

West junior midfielder Kaylee Heller nearly equalized in the 30th, whistling a shot from the top of the box that Spartans senior goalkeeper Anna Whitcomb tipped high.

But the only time the Regents could beat Whitcomb -- who survived plenty of scares -- was through a Memorial own goal in the 64th, when Spartans senior defender Kelsey Strohm sliced a clearance into an open net.

Both teams had played only three games entering Thursday thanks to the poor spring weather. And that's what made it difficult for two teams needing to replace their top offensive weapons from last season.

"Had we been able to play our games, then I think everyone, Memorial and us, we would have been in much better shape," West coach Donal Kaehler said. "So you really have to get a lot of games under your belt before you're really playing. And I'm pretty proud of the way, actually both teams. I thought they both looked pretty good."