The Gilmer High Lady Cats unleashed a scoring barrage on Dalton Academy.
GHS hosted the nonregion soccer match last Friday and were continually on the attack from start to finish. A final goal with under a minute to play ended the match, and the Cats walked away with a 10-0 win.
“It was great to get every girl there some playing time,” said head coach April Nicholson. “Six girls scored a total of 10 goals, including two girls who got their first high school career goals (Cadence Smith and Amayah Jones). Overall, it was a great night to be a Lady Cat.”
Dalton Academy was never able to sustain an attack and only had one shot, which came late in the second half after the game was well in hand. Meanwhile, GHS fired 24 shots on the day. The Cats attempted 215 passes over the course of the 80-minute match, and 106 of those occurred in the attacking third.
“The best part of the night was finally being able to see the pieces of the puzzle come together,” Nicholson said. “Coach Josh Fountain and I have really been trying to get the girls to push up on the attack. As a whole, they are a very defensive minded group. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you have to score goals to win games.
“Everything came together for them mentally Friday night, and they put weeks of practice together. Hopefully, that carries over into next week as we begin region play.”
Reagan Boling scored Gilmer’s first goal after seven minutes of play. She received a cross from Yenifer Lopez, and scored from 16 yards out. Faith Goodwin added the Cats’ second goal as she popped the ball over the goalkeeper’s head from close range and a tight angle.
Lopez gave GHS a 3-0 lead 14 minutes before the half. Her 12-yard shot caught the bottom of the cross bar before crossing the goal line. Seven minutes later, Angelica Lopez took the ball right through the heart of Dalton Academy’s defense for a goal and 4-0 halftime lead.
GHS tallied its next goal 13 minutes into the second half. After a foul in the box, Smith scored the penalty kick. Boling added another goal a minute later, and she made the score 7-0 with a left-footed toe poke with 9:17 left in the game.
Less than two minutes after Boling’s third goal, a close shot from Yenifer Lopez could not be corralled by the goalkeeper for an 8-0 lead.
GHS continued to press forward over the final eight minutes. Boling was rewarded with a header right in front of the net for a fourth goal. With 41 seconds on the clock, Jones collected a loose ball and launched a shot from 41 yards out that flew over the goalkeeper’s head for the 10th and final goal.
GHS lost to Union (2-0) two days prior and are 2-4-1 overall. Gilmer will take the field Friday at home at 5:30 p.m. versus Cherokee Bluff.