Germantown Houston came into their state quarterfinal matchup against Class AAA third-ranked Soddy-Daisy with the label of being a one-man show.
Eighty minutes later, the top-ranked Lady Mustangs proved they were much more than that.
With the Lady Trojans double-marking junior All-American forward Olivia Harrison, the defending state champions got goals from three different players and advanced to the Class AAA state semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Soddy-Daisy on the Baylor School soccer field.
Houston (18-1-2) will face fifth-ranked Ravenwood — who defeated Bearden 1-0 in their quarterfinal — today at 4:30 in the semifinals at Baylor.
Soddy-Daisy coach Moises Drumond, in an attempt to slow down Harrison, man-marked her with junior defender Elizabeth Clark as well as shading her with defenders Allie Mounts, Casey Helmick and Elizabeth’s twin Katelyn.
Harrison finished with an assist before an ankle injury with 3:58 remaining in the contest. Unable to put any weight on it, Harrison was taken to the hospital for X-rays, and her status is “day-to-day,” according to Houston coach David Wolff.
“Good players always find a way to get to the ball,” Drumond said. “She was frustrated some, but able to work her way back to the ball. We left ourselves susceptible inside, but the girls did exactly what I asked of them, and left it all out on the field.”
The Lady Trojans (21-1-2) took a one-goal lead at the 26:56 mark of the first half when Hannah Wyatt touched the ball ahead to sophomore Summer Lanter, who beat three defenders and slid the ball past Houston keeper Kelsey Cunningham for a goal.
That lead lasted only three minutes, however, as Harrison sent a cross to Chanel Thorpe, who had time to settle and send the ball in to tie the game.
The team battled back and forth, with opportunities, until the 23:48 mark of the second half, when Madi Wanta headed in a Kelsey Pierce corner kick.
Houston later added a goal in the final minutes when Pierce scored on a breakaway, on a counterattack after Soddy-Daisy has pressed numbers forward in an attempt to tie the score.
“Soddy-Daisy is a good team,” Wolff said. “We didn’t play well in the first 10 minutes, but I felt that they would make a mistake if we kept pushing forward.”
Said Drumond: “I’ve never been more proud of a team. To finish undefeated with the schedule we had and make it to state was unbelievable.
“I hate it for the girls we lose, but we have one goal here and we’re going to continue to fight to make it happen.”
* Ravenwood 1, Bearden 0: Sophomore Bridget Hamway’s second-half goal proved to be the difference for the Lady Raptors (15-4-6), as they knocked off the second-ranked Lady Bulldogs and sending them to their first-ever quarterfinal loss in the state tournament.
Class AAA State Tournament
HOUSTON 3, SODDY-DAISY 1
Halftime score: 1-1. Goals: Chanel Thorpe, Madi Wanta, Kelsey Pierce (H); Summer Lanter (SD). Assists: Pierce, Olivia Harrison (H); Hannah Wyatt (SD). Shots: Houston, 10-5. Saves: Haley Myers 7 (SD); Kelsey Cunningham 4 (H). Records: Houston 18-1-2; Soddy-Daisy 21-1-2.