The Girls Preparatory School soccer team was going to need production from an unexpected source to keep its state championship hopes alive.
Saturday, two unexpecteds came through.
The Bruisers received goals from Zoe Rustand and Lily Hopping, and the defense pitched its second consecutive shutout in a 2-0 victory over Hutchison in the Division II-AA state quarterfinals. GPS advances to next week's state tournament in Murfreesboro, where they will face Brentwood Academy in Friday's semifinals at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex.
GPS won 2-1 over BA's Lady Eagles in Nashville on Oct. 4. The Bruisers hadn't played in 14 days before Saturday's match, but goalkeeper Savannah Williams said there was no rust despite the layoff.
"We had a great week of practices going in, plus we had fall break, so I felt confident about the match going in," she said.
Rustand scored after rebounding her own miss in the 34th minute. Hopping doubled the lead midway through the second half, when Akia Harris countered after a Hutchison corner and made a cross to the freshman for the goal.
"Every game we've had a chance to score, and today was no different," GPS coach Patrick Winecoff said. "When you score in the first half, sometimes it makes other teams change their tactic."
Williams saved the only Hutchison attempt on goal, while Kelley Waggoner had five saves for the Lady Sting.
"I thought we played well. GPS is a team with a lot of talent and leadership," Hutchison coach Candice Spiniolas said. "I feel good about how we played today; we're trying to change the culture here."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.