Chattanooga Christian goalkeepers Marissa Lewis and Lucy Sandhoff didn't have the best view of the action in the Lady Chargers' Class A/AA state sectional soccer match Saturday against Boyd-Buchanan at David Stanton Field.
Lewis and Sandhoff, who faced one shot all night between them, were completely satisfied in watching from distance. From their perspective, their teammates were dominant from start to finish during a 3-0 victory that secured a state tournament berth for the Lady Chargers.
"It was great," Lewis said of the CCS victory.
Notre Dame, like CCS from Region 4, beat Grace Academy 4-0 with Emma Higgins scoring three goals and Ashley McMeen adding a goal and an assist. That one was 1-0 at halftime.
Starting with an intensity that appeared to put the Lady Bucs (12-8) on their heels, Chattanooga Christian's Lady Chargers (15-5-3) set the tone for their match in the opening minutes. Using rushes by Addie Henry, Kyra Duble, Eden Brock, Olivia Hoffman and Ella Brock, CCS kept the ball in the Boyd-Buchanan defensive third of the field for most of the first half.
"The girls have been working hard ever since they went off to camp on July 20th," CCS coach Cal Sneller said. "They've wanted to go to state, but they did not take it for granted."
The Lady Chargers' intense pressure paid its first dividend 13 minutes into the match when Henry converted a sharp crossing pass from Ella Brock for the first goal of the match.
CCS continued to control play throughout the first half with stellar midfield play from Hoffman and Eden Brock weaving through the Lady Bucs defense with rushes that began from the sideline.
The pressure generated from the outside set up Henry, who found Taylor Brooks in front of the net for the second goal of the match midway through the first half.
The Lady Bucs' only shot of the match was launched by Emily Hauke with 10 minutes left in the first half. Jenna Rogers, Emily Huesman and Katie Davick were stalwarts on defense for CCS and, in combination with the excellent midfield play of their teammates, made sure the ball stayed at the Boyd-Buchanan end throughout most of the second half.
"I thought we passed pretty well, and when we pass well, we are a pretty tough team to get past," Henry said.
Olivia Hoffman scored the final goal of the match following a corner kick 10 minutes into the second half. Lady Bucs goalkeeper Ana Lofontaine, with nine solid saves on 15 shots, kept the Lady Chargers from lighting up the scoreboard.
"I thought we played well. It was trying to control the speed that they had," said Boyd-Buchanan coach Todd Ledbetter, whose team received strong defensive play from Lindsey Hunkapiller and Hannah Isanhart. "I'm very proud of them, but it's tough for the season to end."
Contact Greg Thompson at sports@timesfreepress.com