CLINTON – It took absolutely every ounce of heart, desire, grit, determination and endurance that the Greeneville Lady Greene Devils had on Saturday in the Class AA State Sectionals.
It took overtime and 100 minutes of action, but the Lady Devils never stopped fighting for the decisive goal. In the 98th minute they found it, earning a 1-0 victory over Anderson County and their 11th consecutive trip to the state tournament.
“These girls gave us absolutely everything they had. They are exhausted, but I am so proud of them,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said. “It’s tremendous to be going back to the state tournament. These girls have a lot of pride in this program, and there is a legacy that they want to upkeep. They set a goal of getting here, and they achieved it.”
The difference-making goal came eight minutes into the second overtime period when Greeneville was awarded a corner kick. Peyton Vaught sent the ball into the box from the right corner to Ava Daniel. Daniel battled three defenders for position in front of the net and managed to get just enough of her body on the ball to push it toward the frame. The ball bounced twice and snuck inside the far post, out the reach of diving keeper Bria Willis.
“It feels amazing to be going back to state, to be going my senior year, I couldn’t be more happy,” Greeneville senior Matea Gray said. “We just had to play with determination. I have to give everybody credit, we pushed so hard for this. It was about the keeping the pressure on them the whole time.”
For much of the night Daniel stayed back on the Lady Devils’ set pieces, but Graham knew his squad might not have another chance with just two minutes left in overtime, and he went all in to get a goal before the second overtime period ended. The call paid off with a trip to the state tournament.
“Oh my goodness, that felt so amazing! The whole game it felt like we had it, but to finally see that goal go in was such a relief,” Daniel said. “Usually I come up for all of our corners, but tonight I was staying back. When we got that one coach Graham told me to come up. I kind of blacked out but I just went for the ball, I made contact, and it was the best feeling ever.”
The Lady Greene Devils went 98 minutes without a goal on Saturday, but they never lost the belief that the decisive shot would come their way. In the second 10-minute overtime session Greeneville’s attack became even more fervent, and that started in the 91st minute when Lorelei Birdwell fired a shot from the top of the box that the Lady Longhorns’ defense deflected away.
Angelyn Diaz launched a shot in the 92nd minute, and in the 96th minute Vivian Kammerdiener worked to the endline where she sent a cross across the frame, but Willis beat Kinsley Spradlen to the pass.
“We felt from the beginning that we were going to get the goal we needed,” Gray said. “At halftime we talked about it. Going into overtime we knew we were going to score. We were close all night and knew eventually one would go in. Then when It happened it was just an unbelievable feeling.”
A scary moment quickly followed when Anderson County went on the counter attack and Roxana Aguilar beat the defense into the box for an open look. Her shot was off the mark to the right and the Lady Devils still had hope.
While the late lapse had all of the Greeneville faithful gasping for breath the Lady Devils’ defense was close to perfect for all 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.
Marley VanBuskirk led the defense with her relentless pursuit. Seemingly every time the Lady Longhorns looked to have an advantage in the box the senior was there to turn it away.
“It took so much discipline and so much work from every single person on the field to get the shut out,” VanBuskirk said. “Everybody on the field played defense tonight and I’m so proud of my team. I knew this could be my last game, and all I was thinking was that I had to get back one more time. I had to get a stop one more time. I just had to keep going until it was over.”
Graham was also quick to praise Birdwell who was tasked with marking Anderson County’s top attacker all night. Her successful effort kept any dangerous looks away from keeper Cailee Broyles and kept the ball out of the net.
It took 35 minutes for Anderson County to send its first shot at the frame on Saturday as Diaz, Kammeridiener and Gray kept the ball at the Lady Devils’ feet for most of the first half.
In particular Gray and Kammerdiener’s combination play in the middle kept the Lady Mavericks chasing for much of the first half, but the score stayed knotted at 0-0 going into the first break.
“The combination play at the end of the year has been really great and I think we are peaking at the right time,” Graham said. “This was some of our best soccer all year, it just didn’t result in the ball finding the back of the net. Holy cow, some of those combinations in the middle of the field were tremendous tonight.”
Greeneville had a good look in the 44th minute when Vaught took a free kick from 30 yards on the left side of the box. She curled her shot at the left post but Willis got her hands on the ball before it reached the netting.
In the 49th minute Vaught popped a pass into the box to Kammerdiener who slid the ball to Gray in front of the frame. The Lady Devils’ best chance to that point went right at the keeper.
In the 65th minute Julieann Raby lobbed a long lead pass into the box to a charging Spradlen, but again the keeper was first to the ball. One minute later Spradlen looked as though she would finish a cross from Vaught at the edge of the six-yard box, but Willis made the tough grab at the goal line.
Before regulation ended Gray got off two more shots that Willis saved.
In the 73rd minute Anderson County got a corner kick that Bralee Hall got a head on. Lily Trent sent the rebound back but in banged off the cross bar before Elaina Philbeck finally cleared it.
Greeneville thought it had struck fortune in the 79th minute when a foul was called on the keeper at the edge of the box. Diaz ran up and sent a quick shot at the open frame, but running in retreat Willis made the toughest save of the night and sent the game to overtime.
The Class AA State Tournament will begin on Tuesday in Chattanooga. Greeneville will take on Liberty Creek at Boyd Buchanan at 11 a.m.
Greeneville is going back to state for the 11th-straight year!! Hear from Lady Devils Head Coach Jerry Graham after a thrilling victory on the road in Anderson County and what it took to overcome adversity through the year and make it back to Chattanooga. pic.twitter.com/cntjS7h93w
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 26, 2025
Greeneville senior midfielder Ava Daniel scored last night’s game-winning goal to help send the Lady Devils to their 11th-straight State Tournament! Hear her thoughts and excitement after last night’s thrilling win. pic.twitter.com/ILWTqDeE2c
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 26, 2025
Greeneville senior defender Marley Vanbuskirk (@marley_van23) led the defensive shutout pitched by the Lady Devils in last night’s 1-0 win to advance back to the State Tournament for the 11th-straight season! Hear what her thoughts were after the thrilling victory. pic.twitter.com/BdFUSspiJh
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 26, 2025
Greeneville senior forward Matea Gray helped the Lady Devils reach their 11th-straight State Tournament after a thrilling 1-0 win last night. Hear her detail what it took to get the job done and how rewarding it feels. pic.twitter.com/ELfgw9fZ6Z
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 26, 2025
