Chuckey Doak’s Lady Knights opened the District 1-A Soccer Tournament Tuesday night at Lower Afton, hosting the Cosby Lady Eagles, who advanced with a 4-3 victory over Gatlinburg-Pittman on Monday. In the end, Cosby came away with a 5-2 win, advancing to Thursday’s championship match while also securing a spot in next week’s Region 1-A tournament.
Both teams had opportunities to find the back of the net early, with Chuckey Doak holding a 10-7 advantage in shots. However, the Lady Eagles made the most of their chances, capitalizing on a three first half goals from sophomore forward Stella Raines to take control of the match in the opening 12 minutes.
Raines broke free in the ninth minute to put Cosby on the board, then followed with a corner kick that found the back of the net just 30 seconds later to give the Lady Eagles a 2-0 advantage.
Cosby’s third goal came in the 12th minute when Raines took a pass from Ava Meeker, went one-on-one with the keeper and found the left corner of the net to make it 3-0.
Chuckey Doak capitalized on one of its best scoring opportunities in the 22nd minute when Caitlin Larson was awarded a penalty kick after being pushed from behind inside the box. Larson calmly stepped up and converted the attempt, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
The Lady Knights and Lady Eagles continued to battle throughout the remainder of the first half, with shots sailing wide, caroming off the posts or being turned away by the goalkeepers.
Chuckey Doak came out with a greater sense of urgency in the second half, and that effort appeared to give the Lady Knights new life in the 46th minute. Senior Kennah Marshall cut the deficit to 3-2 with a shot from more than 45 yards out. The ball sailed over the outstretched arms of the leaping keeper and rolled into the back of the net.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived, however, as Ripley Groat broke free in the 55th minute and extended Cosby’s lead to 4-2.
The Lady Eagles added their final goal two minutes later after what initially appeared to be another strong defensive stop by Chuckey Doak. Groat attempted to score her second goal of the match, but a Black Knight defender deflected the shot. Raines was in position to capitalize on the rebound, scoring her fourth goal of the game and pushing the Cosby advantage to 5-2.
Despite the loss, Chuckey Doak finished the night with a 20-14 advantage in shots, while goalkeeper Sara Yates recorded six saves.
Cosby improved to 14-3 on the season and will face University High on Thursday night for the district 1-A championship.
The Lady Knights entered the season with a very young squad and finished with a 10-6-1 record. Chuckey Doak will say goodbye to seniors Betsie Ramirez, Lindsey Rojas, Kennah Marshall and Remi Holter, but the experience gained by the younger players should provide a strong foundation for the program moving forward.
