GPS player Samantha Jackson evades a slide tackle by Father Ryan player Rachel Scott during their soccer match Saturday.
GPS player Samantha Jackson, center, takes a shot on the goal ahead of Father Ryan player Maggie Rider during their soccer match Saturday at Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga. GPS won 2-0.Even as shots have sailed high and wide this season, the Girls Preparatory School soccer team has been able to rely on its defense. Saturday was no exception.
The Bruisers got first-half goals from Lily Hopping and Samantha Jackson and turned the match over to their defense, which shut down third-ranked Father Ryan in a 2-0 win.
That clinched the Division II-AA East/Middle region playoffs' top seed for the second-ranked Bruisers (10-2-2, 5-0-1).
Goalkeeper Savannah Williams finished with five saves, and defender Lindsay Rufolo anchored a solid effort in the back.
"We always try to support each other, have each other's back and keep a positive attitude," Rufolo said. "We try to be one unit on the field, instead of three different sections.
"Last season we lost nine seniors and six starters, so we're looked at as underdogs. We're using that to our advantage this season."
Both teams will have byes when the playoffs begin next week.
Jackson and midfielders Akia Harris and Keyle Snyder in particular kept pressure on the Lady Irish defense throughout the match. It paid off midway through the first half, when Harris crossed into the box a ball that, after bouncing around for a moment, was nailed home by Hopping.
Hopping then slotted a pass to Jackson, who lofted a shot through for the two-goal advantage in the 38th minute.
Of the six shots the Lady Irish (9-5-4, 4-1-1) had, only two were dangerous. A first-half shot by Katie Jordan glanced off the crossbar, and in the second half Williams tipped a Tally Bishop shot over the crossbar.
"We had a great effort from the back to the front," GPS coach Patrick Winecoff said. "Akia is a mismatch for anybody in the state, and Keyle can create any time she touches the ball.
"We haven't given up many goals all year, and I'm proud of how everything came together today."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.