With all five TSSAA girls’ soccer state tournaments taking place in the Chattanooga area for the second straight year, two local teams had blistering starts to help kick off this week’s championship proceedings.
With 4-0 quarterfinal triumphs Wednesday, Arts & Sciences and East Hamilton each landed the most dominant win in program history at this stage of the season.
Led by senior forward Zoey Burgner, Class AA’s East Hamilton rolled past South Gibson, the same program the Lady Hurricanes narrowly survived in the same round a year ago by winning a penalty kick shootout.
Burgner delivered East Hamilton’s breakthrough goal in the 30th minute of a match played at GPS. Her 21st score of the season, it was perfectly set up on a cross by Sydney Bastow from the right sideline, with the ball sneaking past the defense and to the left post, where Burgner knocked it into the opposite corner of the net.
The Lady Hurricanes (16-4-1) were decisive against the Lady Hornets (12-7-1) with a 26-4 margin in shots, including 14 by East Hamilton in the first half.
“They are a special group,” coach Eugene Nelson said of his Lady Hurricanes. “All day they have been locked in and focused because they see the end is near. These seniors have been here four years in a row, and they aren’t here for the experience. They are here to make some real noise. They really came out and took control from the start.”
East Hamilton’s attack was spurred by shifty junior Diamond Stephens, who made plays at midfield and finished the match with eight shots, frequently putting pressure on the South Gibson keeper. She had a near miss on a line drive off the left post and another shot was stopped by a diving save, but a booming kick by Stephens in the 62nd minute provided the final margin.
The Lady Hurricanes also scored off a powerful free kick by senior Alaina Fortune that bounced out of the keeper’s hands and to the feet of senior Megan Corvin, who cleaned up to make it 2-0 in the 33rd. Burgner had an assist with a corner kick to sophomore Natalie Simulius for a three-goal lead in the 53rd.
“This team is special,” Burgner said. “Because we are all best friends and hang out together 24/7, we are able to work together in such a strong way on the field. We really play together well and all have the same goal in mind. We really want that (state championship) ring so bad.”
Lady Hurricanes junior keeper Maggie Rickerd made a nice leaping save in the final minute to preserve the clean sheet, and team captain Olivia Drumeller starred on the back line with Alaina Fortune, Iceley Stephens and Jesse Woodcook.
East Hamilton will face Murfreesboro Central (18-6) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at GPS. The other Class AA semifinal will pair Page (21-0-2) against Greeneville (14-10) at 4 p.m., and the winners will meet at 11 a.m. Saturday in East Ridge at CHI Memorial Stadium. The home of USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves and the USL W League’s Lady Red Wolves, it will host all five title matches, with Division II finals on Friday and D-I finals on Saturday.
In the Class A quarterfinals at Chattanooga Christian School, Arts & Sciences (13-6-2) was equally impressive in a rout of Lakeland Prep (13-4-1).
After scoring or assisting on seven goals in the Lady Patriots’ sectional win to reach the state tournament, sophomore Ella Hurst remained hot as she scored twice. Zeva Phillips provided a brilliant goal off her own corner kick, Cheyenne Frye added her 39th goal of the season, and sophomore Anna Chen and senior Audrey Benson also stood out in midfield.
“I told them whatever happens in the state tournament is a direct result of the poise they showed when they came back from behind to beat Community for the region championship in a road match where there were unfavorable conditions,” coach David Poss said.
“These girls also gained a lot from their first experience in the state tournament last year. We got in a groove in the second half. Anna stepped up to help us gain control of possession in the midfield, and Audrey helped our girls keep their composure being the solid senior leader she is.”
The Lady Patriots face Cumberland Gap (18-1-2) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at CCS. The other Class A semifinal will pair Culleoka (17-0-2) against Merrol Hyde (18-2-1) at 4 p.m., and the title match is at 4 p.m. Saturday
Meanwhile, the Division II semifinals are Thursday.
In DII-A matches at Baylor, Silverdale Baptist (16-1-1) takes on University School of Jackson (17-2) at 11 a.m., followed by Boyd Buchanan (13-5-4) against Battle Ground Academy (16-4).
In DII-AA matches at CCS, Baylor (15-5-1) plays Briarcrest Christian (12-1-2) at 11 a.m., followed by GPS (12-2-1) facing Hutchison (10-4-4).
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com and follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.