Lady Cat soccer wins in second round, 9-1
The Gilmer High Lady Cats continued to venture into uncharted soccer territory and thrived.
The No. 21 seeded Cats were in Bainbridge last Thursday for a Sweet 16 matchup against the No. 5 Bearcats. The outclassed hosts scored a goal early in the first half but had little to offer afterward. Meanwhile, GHS scored repeatedly to lead by three at the half.
Gilmer did not let up in the second half and continued to run around and past the Bearcats for a 9-1 victory.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said head coach Adam Palmer. “Traveling that far and still being able to do the work was good.”
A BHS handball in the box led to a penalty kick less than five minutes into the match. Yenifer Lopez gave Gilmer an early lead, which marked her first of four goals on the day.
The Bearcats answered right before the 10-minute mark. GHS adjustments transformed their 4-2-3-1 formation.
“They had a really good forward up top,” Palmer said. “They scored on a boom ball over the top that we misjudged, and she had a breakaway and scored. I realized how fast she was, and she could really exploit the back four if we kept it that way.”
Defender Salma Gonzalez was moved into a “sweeper” role behind Gilmer’s back line. At that point, the Cats were mainly in a 1-3-3-3 set up.
“They never adjusted from that point forward, and she was pretty much shut down the whole game,” said Palmer. “We were really able to put more pressure on them and score more goals at that point.”
BHS rarely made it into Lady Cat territory going forward. Senior captain Sophia Lykins, Joei Marshall and Maggie Thompson patrolled the midfield, which BHS hardly breached over the final 70 minutes of the game. Goalkeeper Amayah Jones was only momentarily called into action to stop meekly-struck shots.
Angelica Castaneda and Lopez continued to put pressure on Bainbridge and their efforts paid off. Lopez got loose down the left wing, and her shot was deflected. The ball rolled to Castaneda, who passed to Lykins at the top of the box. Her 18-yard shot gave GHS a 2-1 lead after 13 minutes of play.
Gilmer’s next goal came four minutes later. Marshall won possession and her 25-yard shot was saved but the ball was not secured. Castaneda’s tap-in made it 3-1.
With 15 minutes left in the half, GHS struck again. A short corner was played back to Marshall, and her cross was right on the mark. After two GHS shots were saved, Lopez finally put the ball in the back of the net from just yards away.
The Cats did not let up in the second, and it was Lopez who scored next. Seven minutes into the half, she outmaneuvered and dribbled around a Bearcat before pelting the ball into the back of the net from 12 yards away.
Ahead 5-1, GHS had to wait a whole 15 minutes for its next goal. Thompson’s long pass found Estephany Becerra, and her pass to Castaneda was met right in front of the goal for a 6-1 lead.
Gilmer’s added another goal minutes later and it was Castaneda’s third. A high through ball landed right in her path and she outran the Bearcats and scored from just yards away.
Up by six, the Cats tacked on two more goals with less than five minutes to play. Lopez scored on the doorstep after Castaneda’s shot was deflected. Marshall’s 38-yard free kick sailed right over the keeper’s head for the ninth goal.
The win was Gilmer’s second-ever postseason victory and improved their record to 12-5. The 9-1 victory eclipsed the Cats’ 7-1 win over Peach County in the opening round.
Gilmer had a quick turnaround after arriving back in Ellijay Friday afternoon. Their Elite Eight meeting at No. 13 Cherokee Bluff was played Monday evening
“We practiced Saturday morning and gave them Sunday off,” Palmer said ahead of the game. “Every team is going to be tough from here on out. You just have to show up and play the game.”
A recap of the Cats’ match against Cherokee Bluff will appear in next week’s Times-Courier.