Gilmer High met two of the region’s top soccer teams when it faced the White County Warriors and Cherokee Bluff Bears.
The GHS Lady Cats were at home for both matches last week. First up was White County Tuesday, and the Warriors came away with a 5-0 win. Gilmer welcomed CBHS Friday, and the Bears’ quickness enabled them to control the match for an 8-0 victory.
Versus WCHS, the Warriors scored three first half goals and added two more over the match’s final 40 minutes.
“White County had a very well-organized group of girls. We came off of a really good game versus Dalton Academy, but the two schools had two very different styles of play,” said head coach April Nicholson.
“We were able to hold possession over 50 percent of the game against Dalton Academy. During the White County game, our possession rates dropped by over half, and White was able to interrupt our passing game.”
Cherokee Bluff’s speed at forward and along the wings gave GHS issues. The Bears played through balls all night and ran away from Gilmer defenders. Much of the match was played in Lady Cat territory, and they had difficulties stringing passes together to sustain an offensive attack.
“We knew we were going to have to be in a very defensive formation,”Nicholson said. “We moved a few girls around to really try and strengthen our midfield, and we were able to hold off their attack for a few minutes.”
CBHS scored its first goal in the match’s seventh minute and netted a second three minutes later. By the half the Bears built a 5-0 advantage.
GHS held strong for much of the second half. Cherokee Bluff was able to add three more goals in the final 14 minutes of the match.
“The team this year is very young, and at one point I think of the 11 girls on the field, eight were freshmen or sophomores,” Nicholson said. “I think goalkeeper Caitlin Henderson had over 40-something saves. She had a great game, and she should be proud of her effort.
“The girls are learning a lot, and they are learning quickly; a lot of girls are getting some real quality playing time, so the future is looking bright.”
GHS is 2-6-1 and will make its way to West Hall Friday for a 5 p.m. match.