Chattanooga Christian soccer coach Cal Sneller crossed a milestone over the weekend.
He notched the 300th win of his career coaching the Lady Chargers on Friday. Sneller, who started coaching at the base of Lookout Mountain in 1993, got another victory Tuesday.
In a complete contrast from the last time CCS faced Grace Academy - a one-goal game late last October with a trip to the state tournament on the line - the Lady Chargers sprinted past the Lady Golden Eagles 7-1 with five goals coming after halftime.
"He's done a lot of work over the course of his career coaching," said sophomore Olivia Hoffman, who scored two goals at Grace on Tuesday. "He's been here quite a long time and done a lot of good things."
Leah Hoffman of Chattanooga Christian School kicks the ball around Ebony Ransby as Grace Academy hosts CCS in a girls soccer game on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. CCS beat Grace 7-1.CCS will honor Sneller's achievement before its next home game next Tuesday against McMinn County. He will be presented with the game ball from win No. 300, which came against Warren County. The ball has been signed by the entire team.
"It was just a hurdle to get over," Sneller said. "It was a relief because we had the stomach bug going through our team and we called up a few JV players just so we'd have six subs. It was a game that we were supposed to win."
Getting No. 300 against the Lady Pioneers allowed Sneller and his team to concentrate more on the Saturday games against Greeneville and Shelbyville in which CCS earned a split.
"You don't want 300 hanging over you, and with them being very good teams in our tournament, the focus would have been on the wrong thing," Sneller said. "The focus should be on them. It should be. I wanted to win and get it over with."
Victory No. 302 on Tuesday came much more easily than the victory over Grace that sent his team to the state tournament last year. In that game, Hannah Henry - older sister of Addie Henry, who had three assists on Tuesday - scored both goals in CCS's 2-1 victory.
The Tuesday matchup lacked such drama, especially with Grace having only two players available off the bench.
"Getting tired, and CCS having more depth today, made a difference," Grace coach Gretchen Hammel said. "When my girls are thinking well and playing well, they do very well."
CCS (9-3-1) dominated control of the ball, outshot Grace 17-3 and played like a deeper and more refreshed team than the Lady Golden Eagles (4-5).
Grace cut CCS's 2-0 lead in half on a well-struck free kick by Maddie Ferrell from just outside the penalty box. The final 40 minutes were controlled by the Lady Chargers, especially after they scored on a Hoffman goal less than a minute into the second half.
"We got more aggressive," said senior Annie Reynolds, who gave CCS its 2-0 lead. "At halftime, we were told, 'Don't be OK with a 2-1 win.'"
They're all OK with it being with No. 302 for Sneller.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.