It took nearly 75 heart-stopping minutes, but in the end the Cascade Lady Champions found a way past the Huntland Hornets, 1-0, to repeat as District 9-A Champions on Thursday night.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue |
It took nearly 75 heart-stopping minutes, but in the end the Cascade Lady Champions found a way past the Huntland Hornets, 1-0, to repeat as District 9-A Champions on Thursday night.
With freshman catalyst Olivia Winnett sidelined for the final with an upper-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s semifinal against Community, the tenacity and determination of the rest of the team was on full display for the full 80 minutes in front of a decisive home crowd at The Stable.
“Anytime you play a team three times, it’s hard to surprise them with anything new,” Cascade Head Coach Wendy Williams said jubilantly postgame, “so I think it just came down to persistence and winning the ball and not letting up.”
Two of the three matchups with Huntland this season have been decided by one goal, and the other meeting was a two-goal difference decided in the final 10 minutes. To put it bluntly, the two regular season matchups were tightly contested, so everyone expected Thursday’s game to follow the same script, and that is exactly what played out on the field. Except this time, there was some hardware to add to the trophy case after the final whistle blew.
 dribbles D9 Champ.jpg)
“It’s huge for them. We’ve got a lot of young players so it kind of sets the tone,” Williams said. “It’s a big deal. It’s a big deal, and this team has proven that they do not give up, and they fight all the way until the end.”
In attack, Huntland asked questions of the Cascade backline all night long. Sophomore Bristol Moon down the left wing, senior star and District 9-A Player of the Year Hazel Reed both in the middle and down the right flank, and senior All-District performer Piper Cox filling in the spaces around Reed in attack. Lady Champs’ senior right back Dalyce Bird performed admirably against Moon, and when Bird needed help defensively, her All-District and All-Tournament center-back pairing of Kelsey Shatley and Ella Thompson, respectively, always found themselves in the right spots at the perfect time to turn threats away and preserve the clean sheet.
 carries the ball in D9 Champ.jpg)
These two teams met last season in what was a dominant 3-0 win for Cascade, but the rematch was anything but that. What followed the opening kickoff was an immensely cagey affair that was high-intensity and felt high-stakes, almost like both teams were acutely aware coming in of the type of game that was on tap.
The absence of Winnett was felt when the hosts were in possession, as something just felt a tick off about the Lady Champs’ usual free-flowing movement and passage of play in the buildup to the final third. All-District and All-Tournament defenders Marley Phillips and Kinsley Kilpatrick, respectively, were a massive part of disrupting that play, and the senior pairing were more than up to the challenge of handling a potent Cascade attack.
Kyla Pulley nearly got the scoring started for Cascade in the 24th minute with a short range attempt that was turned away thanks to a reflex save from Huntland’s goalkeeper, Molly Tipps. Tipps was impressive throughout Thursday’s contest, standing on her head more than once in this game to keep the ball out of the back of her net.
 shot saved D9 Champ.jpg)
The only other decent chance created by either side in the remainder of the first half came, to no surprise, from All-District forward, Lexi Comstock. After getting the ball outside the box on the left flank, she cut inside onto her preferred right foot, but she dragged her shot just wide of the post. After four more minutes of scoreless action, the halftime whistle blew with the game deadlocked at 0-0.
Cascade has shown themselves to be a second-half team all season long, and they nearly broke the seal in the 50th minute after Kaylee Martin, who routinely gave Huntland fits down the right wing all night long, whipped in a beautiful cross that Ella McGeary just got underneath and put over the crossbar.
In the 58th minute, Huntland spoiled perhaps their best chance of the entire night. Bristol Moon, attacking a cross sent in from the right flank, found space all alone at the back post to go up and attack the ball in the air with her head. Unfortunately for the visitors, Moon’s downward header attempt went just wide of the post and out for a goal kick as Moon looked on in disbelief.
11 minutes later, in the 69th minute, Huntland’s Reed won a free kick in a dangerous area, but Kilpatrick’s ensuing shot attempt soared just wide of All-Tournament Irais Rojas’ far post.
After flirting with disaster, Cascade looked to find that extra gear they have routinely shown to have this season, and found it they did. In the 75th minute and with 20 minutes of extra-time imminently looming, All-District midfielder, Claire Smithson, lofted an enticing ball over the top of the Huntland defense, giving Lexi Comstock a chance to run underneath the bouncing ball and take the half-volley on her weaker left foot. Comstock was somehow able to put it on target, hard and low on the ground to the far corner and past the sprawling arms of Tipps, with the ball nestling softly into the back of the net to give Cascade the 1-0 lead.
 GW Goal D9 Champ.jpg)
“She just makes it look so easy,” Williams said with a laugh afterwards, “She’s had some beautiful finishes this season and I’m really proud of her because she’s a freshman. She’s stepped up and been a huge factor for us.”
The hosts’ held on for dear life as Huntland bombarded forward to no avail, and when the final whistle blew, it was once again the Cascade Lady Champions who were the ones celebrating on the field.
“We knew coming in this was going to be a hard-fought game and they never gave up,” Williams concluded postgame, “That just shows them that if they just keep going, they can come out on top.”
Before the celebration with the actual plaque could ensue, the 2024 District 9-A awards were handed out. Cascade’s Sophie Ray won Defensive Player of the Year. Kelcee Shatley, Lexi Comstock, Claire Smithson, and Kaylee Martin were named to the All-District regular season team, and Irais Rojas, Ellie Chapa, Ella Thompson, and Kyla Pulley were named to the All-Tournament team.
Huntland falls to 9-5-2 (4-4) and will travel to play the winner of Culleoka-Richland on Tuesday, October 15, in the Region 5-A Semifinals.
Cascade improves to 10-2-1 (8-0), winning its second consecutive District 9-A Championship – and third in four years – and will host the loser of Culleoka-Richland on Tuesday, October 15, in the Region 5-A Semifinals.
