Raising her fist in triumph, Arts & Sciences senior soccer player Ryann Edgemon ran toward her school's student section shortly after a 3-0 shutout of Madison Magnet in Wednesday's TSSAA Class A state quarterfinals.
Watching the Lady Patriots celebrate with their fans was special for head coach David Poss and assistant Tina Whaley.
For a program that began in 1989, the first taste of the state tournament was a sweet one as the Lady Patriots played brilliantly in front of 200 students who got out of school early to cheer on a historic win at Baylor School's soccer field.
"CSAS for a long time has been known as a basketball school," Poss said. "This is a whole new experience for our school in girls' soccer. For these girls to have what felt like their entire student body here was huge for them. They were our 12th man, and we felt their force."
The Lady Patriots (18-3-1) advanced to the semifinals, also at Baylor, where they'll play at 4 p.m. Thursday against Alcoa (13-6-1), a 9-0 winner against Crosstown. CSAS has won 10 straight matches - one more than the combined nine victories the program had the past three seasons.
Cheyenne Frye, a sophomore, scored all three goals against Madison Magnet.
In the 35th minute, she controlled a bouncing pass with her body from several yards behind the top of the penalty arc. With a stepover and then crossover moves, Frye drilled a line drive that curved over the keeper's outstretched hands into the middle of the goal. She secured her hat trick in the 72nd minute with a hard ground ball she placed into the back left portion of the net despite being knocked down by a triple team of defenders.
"I didn't think that last one was going in. I didn't see it until I saw the net move when I was on the ground," said Frye, who has 28 goals this season. "We really executed in all phases today and shook off any anxiousness we had coming in."
Two of the goals were assisted by freshman Ella Hurst - whose 27 goals this season have helped CSAS outscore opponents 96-34 - senior captain Jensen Ware was active on the right side of the attack, junior Taylor Sabo helped the Lady Patriots dominate time and possession in the midfield, and an unsung hero helped make the shutout possible.
"Zeva Phillips stepped up and took her game to another level," Poss said. "Our defense is really solid, we've got a very consistent (center midfielder) in Anna Chen, and we like the back line we have. They played great today, and that is a major credit to Zeva taking a big leap forward in a crucial match."
Whaley, the assistant whose daughter Erynn is one of seven seniors on the roster, said the win "gives our program momentum. It sends a message that we are here and a force to be reckoned with. This group of girls will forever be remembered. They are the first to do what they have, and it's been so memorable."
East Hamilton 0, South Gibson 0: In a AA quarterfinal at Chattanooga Christian School, East Hamilton advanced 3-2 on penalty kicks, with Megan Corvin making the winner and Olivia Drummeler and Ava Skelton also converting in the shootout with South Gibson (16-2-3). The Lady Hurricanes (13-5) will face Murfreesboro Central (16-4) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at CCS.
Page 4, Signal Mountain 1: Signal Mountain's Ava Duffey scored on Kara Wilson's assist in the 39th minute to tie the AA quarterfinal, but Page (18-3-1) controlled the second half. Signal Mountain (13-6-1) had won the past three Class A titles.
Collierville 3, McMinn County 1: McMinn County's Lexi Lawson converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute to make it 1-all, but Collierville (15-1-1) answered with two goals by the 60th to pull away in a AAA quarterfinal at GPS. McMinn finished 14-4-1.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.