On a cool Thursday evening in Lower Afton, Chuckey-Doak celebrated Senior Night and wrapped up the regular season in a hard-fought matchup against Sullivan East.
Both teams created several scoring chances, but neither could gain the upper hand as the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
The Lady Patriots struck first in the 9th minute when Anna Nagle sent a pass to Gracie Cox, who slipped the ball past the keeper for a 1-0 lead.
Chuckey-Doak answered in the 30th minute off a play that originated from a corner kick. The Knights pushed the ball directly in to Haley Williamson who unleashed a powerful shot toward goal. In the midst of heavy traffic, America Flores found herself in the right place at the right time, redirecting the shot into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.
“I love the fact that we have a never-die attitude,” said Coach Anna Ricker. “We went down early, fought hard to tie the game, and just battled the rest of the way to preserve it.”
It looked as though the Knights might find some of the same late-game magic their football team enjoyed the week before. As the first-half clock wound down, Addy Bradley’s corner kick curved into the net, but the goal was disallowed after officials ruled the ball had been improperly placed before the kick.
Both teams had opportunities in the second half, but neither could convert as the keepers held firm. “We trust our keeper, Cora Merrill,” Ricker added. “Even though East probably got more shots, she did a great job stopping the long ones and helping us preserve the tie.”
Chuckey-Doak will look to carry that same physical style into postseason play when they travel to Gatlinburg-Pittman on Tuesday to open the District 1-A Tournament against the Lady Highlanders.
