Gilmer High continued its soccer season last Friday versus archrival Pickens.
The GHS Bobcats and Lady Cats made the short trip, and the hometown Dragons earned a pair of wins. In the girls match, Gilmer fell to the Dragonettes, 1-0. The Bobcats maintained possession and had shots on goal but were defeated, 4-0.
“Our girls definitely improved since the first game in Fannin,” said coach April Nicholson. “I think we needed that to figure out exactly what we needed to work on, and we spent last week working on what Fannin was able to capitalize on. We are still trying to get girls in the right places and find the best fit.
“Overall, I was incredibly proud of how the girls played; in 10 years of coaching, it was probably one of the most physical girls games I have ever seen.”
The Dragons have gotten off to a strong start with a 6-1 win over last year’s Class 3A state champions Coahulla Creek, as well as a 10-0 thrashing of Fannin. Gilmer had their chances against Pickens, but could not break through.
“We knew that they had several good players, who we were going to have to control if we wanted to get a result. We had a plan that we practiced during the week and stuck to that as much as we could during the game,” said coach Simon Phipps.
“It was a very physical game, and both sides made it a real competition. I was especially pleased with our defense and midfield. They played very well all game.”
Phipps added, “I honestly believe that the score 4-0 to Pickens was not an accurate reflection of the game. We had 50 percent of the possession and had 10 shots on target. I would especially like to give a shout out to goalkeeper Noah Turner who made some fantastic saves and commanded the game from the back, also Julien Withrow and Ricky Ambrocio for their on-field leadership during a hard-fought game.”
The Bobcats are 1-1 on the season and the Lady Cats are 0-2.