The Lady Champions celebrate after the final buzzer in Saturday afternoon’s Class A sectional against Cheatham County, (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
BELL BUCKLE — In the state sectional round, there are no bad teams and every match is hard-fought, regardless of opponents.
For the Cascade Lady Champions (14-2-1) , sticking with the recipe that’s landed them a double-digit win-streak was just what the doctor ordered in Saturday’s Class A state sectional matchup against Cheatham County.
Anchored by a strong game in the Lady Champion midfield, Cascade got a goal off the toe of Sophia Mastrosimone in the 54th minute and played some savvy soccer in the final minutes of the second half to secure the second-straight trip to the Class A state tournament with the 1-0 win over the Lady Cubs.
After the final buzzer sounded, Cascade coach Wendy Williams and the Lady Champions stated their excitement to be making a return trip to the big dance in Chattanooga next week.
“We’re just so excited. It means so much to them to be able to get back and try their hand out,” Williams said.
While the first half ended in a scoreless draw, Cheatham County certainly gave Cascade a few scares with runs on goal early in the second half, with the biggest care from the Lady Cubs coming in the 54th minute.
On a breakaway run, it was Lady Champion keeper Irais Rojas who came out of the goal and made a diving save that arguably was the biggest save of the match.
Barely two minutes later, Mastrosimone found herself in front of the box and after the Lady Champions jammed the Lady Cub defensive back-li
Lexi Comstock gets a header on the ball and wins a 50-50 possession for Cascade. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
ne, was able to slot the game-winning goal to the corner of the net in the 56th minute.
Even with the score, Cascade still had over 20 minutes to survive to earn a return trip to the Class A state tournament.
Rather than lean on a conservative approach, it was an aggressive push in the final 20 minutes of the game, notably controlled by the Lady Champion midfield, that helped secure Cascade the win.
Led by senior midfielder Sophie Ray, the Lady Champs were able to control possession in the closing minutes to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the second-consecutive year.
“We play to the whistle blows. We don’t let up and we don’t get comfortable. These girls are willing to push through to the end,” Williams said.
“Our girls understand what the strategy is at different times in the game.”
Rather than chance inopportune shots in the closing minutes, Cascade wisely leaned on the senior leadership to play the possession game in order to bleed out the remaining clock.
While it’s often the strikers and assists that show up in the scoring column, Williams was proud of her senior midfielder in Ray, who helped facilitate both ends of the field in the win.
“She(Ray) is irreplaceable. We couldn’t do it without her in the middle. She wins the middle for us. She helps, both defense and offense,” Williams said.
Senior midfielder Sophie Ray controls the ball and sets up a run on the Lady Cubs’ goal. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Rojas also made her mark on Cascade’s sectional victory in Saturday’s matinee as well, recording nine saves for the fourth-straight shutout.
Saturday’s Class A sectional win secures the second-straight state tournament appearance for the Lady Champions, after making their state tournament program debut last season.
That experience of having been there, Williams said, is invaluable for the Lady Champs’ return trip to Chattanooga.
“Since we were there last year, I think there will be fewer nerves as to what it’s going to be like. They have a little bit more knowledge of what we’re going in to and how hard we’re going to have to work when we get there,” Williams said.
In addition to the experience of last year’s state tournament trip, Ray echoed her coach’s sentiments of the close-knit chemistry of the Cascade roster for the successes this season.
“It feels great. This year, it feels great to live up to that potential. The team is really tight and strong together. It’s like a big family out here. It feels like we’re living up to our potential,” Ray said.
As far as the potential for the 2024 Lady Champion team, Williams said the sky is the limit for this squad, ahead of the Class A state tournament.
“I think that they can go as far as they want to,” she said.
Cascade awaits the announcement of the Class A state tournament bracket, but will play on Wednesday in Chattanooga in the first-round of the tournament.
Cheatham Co. 0 0 — 0
Cascade 0 1 — 1
Second Half
C — Sophia Mastrosimone goal, Kaylee Martin assist, (56th minute).
