Rachel Paty, left, and Rachel Payne of Baylor surround Keyle Snyder of GPS during their soccer match at GPS in this Sept. 30, 2014, photo.Soccer State Tournament Schedule(All matches played at Richard Siegel complex in Murfreesboro; all times Eastern)TodayA/AA State QuarterfinalsChattanooga Christian vs. Hume-Fogg, 5:30Notre Dame vs. Spring Hill, 7:30FridayDivision II-AA State SemifinalsGPS vs. Brentwood Academy, 7:30Class A/AACHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN LADY CHARGERS (11-6-4)District 7 and Region 4 runners-upLeaders: Hannah Henry (23 goals, 4 assists), a senior midfielder who recently committed to Carson-Newman, carried the offensive load early in the season while classmate Sara Farlett (9 goals) recovered from an injury. Freshman forward Olivia Hoffman (8 g, 5 a) and junior midfielder Leah Hoffman (6 g, 5 a) provide additional scoring options.First match: Today at 5:30 EDT vs. Hume-Fogg (17-3)NOTRE DAME LADY IRISH (10-5-4)District 7 and Region 4 championsLeaders: The Lady Irish have been led by their defense, headlined by Lee University goalkeeper commitment Taylor Green and Lincoln Memorial defender commitment Courtney Boyd. Junior Sofia Olenchek has scored seven of her team-leading 10 goals in postseason play, while sophomore Ashley McMeen (7 g, 4 a) and junior Emma Higgins (5 g) have also been solid. Senior Liz Ciabattone provides stability in the midfield.First match: Today at 7:30 EDT vs. Spring Hill (13-4-3)Division II-AAGPS BRUISERS (11-2-2)Division II-AA East/Middle region championsLeaders: As the season has progressed, so have the Bruisers in their first season under coach Patrick Winecoff. UAB commitment Keyle Snyder (7 g, 8 a) and fellow junior Akia Harris (7 g) have led the offense with sophomore Samantha Jackson chipping in five goals in her first season starting. The defense, which has 10 shutouts and allowed only 10 goals all season, has been consistent, with senior goalkeeper Savannah Williams and senior defender Lindsay Rufolo the leaders.First match: Friday at 7:30 EDT vs. Brentwood Academy (13-3)
Savannah Williams feels she received a bit of vindication three weeks ago from the bad memories surrounding the 2012 Division II-AA state championship soccer loss to Father Ryan. Her Girls Preparatory School team came out sharp and prepared, earning a 2-0 home victory over the Lady Irish.
The Oct. 4 win was on the same GPS pitch where the senior goalkeeper was issued a red card and ejected in that 2012 state final. She was on the sideline when the Lady Irish's Sarah Bossung netted the penalty kick that was the difference in a 1-0 victory.
But there's nothing like having one final opportunity to go out the right way.
GPS is back in the state semifinals this week. This time the Bruisers will be at the Richard Siegel complex in Murfreesboro, where they will face Brentwood Academy at 7:30 p.m. EDT Friday. Should they win, they'll have a chance to play for the state championship against either Father Ryan or Briarcrest Christian on Saturday.
Chattanooga Christian and Notre Dame are in the A/AA state field, and their quarterfinals are today, with the CCS Lady Chargers (11-6-4) taking on Hume-Fogg (17-3) at 5:30 EDT and the Lady Irish (10-5-4) facing Spring Hill (13-4-3) at 7:30. The Division I teams will play semifinals Thursday and take Friday off before Saturday's championship matches.
"I think it's really exciting for the program to be back in the state tournament," Williams said after the Bruisers' 2-0 state quarterfinal win last Saturday. "From last year to this, there is definitely something different about this team."
The Bruisers lost eight seniors off last season's team, which fell in the state quarterfinals. The expectations were tempered coming into the 2014 season, as Patrick Winecoff took over as the head coach with Andy Sarjant and Caroline Carlin his assistants. The new faces filtered down from the top into the team itself, which returned only four starters.
"I wasn't sure what to expect coming into the season with us graduating as many as we did off last season's team," Winecoff said. "It took a while for the girls to play the style we were asking, but for the players we have, it's a natural fit. You could see that, and the expectations got higher every week, and I'm excited to see all of the hard work come to fruition."
Two of the returning starters, juniors Akia Harris and Keyle Snyder, share the team lead in scoring with seven goals, while Snyder has a team-high eight assists. The Alabama-Birmingham commitment said the Bruisers had a number of team-bonding exercises before the season began, with bowling and rafting among the activities. It helped the players grow closer from the outset, she said, and now they are two wins away from their first-ever state title.
They've been runners-up four times, in 1989, 1998, 2001 and 2012.
"It's been a fun year. We lost a lot from last year, and we've had to work hard to fill those positions," Snyder said. "The year has gone well, and we're a team that loves each other. I definitely think we've earned this shot."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.