CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – It took No. 3 seed Cascade (17-1-2, 8-0) four knocks at the door, but the Lady Champions finally were able to break through and win their first-ever win at the TSSAA Class A State Tournament in program history with a 3-0 victory over No. 6 seed Madison Magnet (14-5, 4-0) in Tuesday’s quarterfinal at Boyd-Buchanan School.

“Winning our first one here, again, we’re in a bit of shock, but it’s amazing,” Lady Champions’ Head Coach Wendy Williams said postgame, “Our girls have worked so hard, and they were actually able to come out here and prove who they are at this level. We’re very proud of them.”

All three goals were scored in a 14-minute window early in the second half, but Cascade controlled possession and the tempo of the game for the full 80 minutes with Claire Smithson and Alayna Ormiston continuously recycling possession after rushed Mustang clearances. 

“They [Claire Smithson and Alayna Ormiston] are always impactful, and I think it shows up even more so in games like this where they control the action,” Williams said, “Our defense and our midfield is outstanding. I think Claire and Alayna don’t usually get all the props that they deserve because it’s hard to have stats where they are, but they are imperative to our success.”

Kaylee Martin nearly found the breakthrough in the first half just seven minutes from halftime, but her left-footed effort from nine yards away was saved by Olivia Bynum at her near post to keep the Mustangs level at 0-0 heading to the break.

“They [Madison Magnet] packed it in defensively and kept a bunch of defenders in the box, so we initially had trouble finishing in the final third just because of the congestion,” said Williams, “It took them a little while, but they eventually figured it out with a little more creativity.”

In the 44th minute, that breakthrough finally came. After the ball was deflected around inside the top of the box, Marissa Gulick swung her weaker right foot through the ball, just trying to put it on target. Instead, she managed to curl the ball up and over Bynum into the top-right corner for her eighth goal of the season to put Cascade ahead 1-0.

“Marissa [Gulick] has done that several times this season, and we always know she can, it’s just about her getting the opportunity,” said Williams, “She was presented the opportunity, and she took it.”

Seven minutes later, Kaylee Martin found a way to double Cascade’s lead with just under a half-hour remaining. Martin took space at the top-right of the box before powering a shot across goal into the bottom-left corner. With the goal, the junior tallied her 16th goal of the season as well as scoring in her sixth-consecutive game.

“I think that Kaylee [Martin] has taken a lot of responsibility on herself since Lexi [Comstock] went out to get us where we are,” Williams said, “We’re always proud of Kaylee, but she just has really stepped up and shown out in the postseason.”

Finally, in the 60th minute, Oliva Winnett’s persistence resulted in her 10th goal of the season. After her initial long-range effort was blocked, the attacking midfielder followed her shot before firing another attempt on goal. This time, it resulted in the Lady Champions third goal of the afternoon, and Cascade was able to ride that 3-0 lead until the final whistle.

With the win, the Lady Champions return to Boyd-Buchanan School for the semifinal against Merrol Hyde at 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday after the Hawks took down CSAS 4-0.