The Gilmer High Lady Cats are back in the soccer state playoffs.
GHS sealed its postseason fate last Thursday at LaFayette. The Ramblers were tasked and failed in stopping goal maven Yenifer Lopez. Her hat trick helped the Cats secure fourth place in the final region standings with its 6-2 victory.
The Cats started the week at home two days prior against first-place Northwest Whitfield. The visiting Bruins gave the Cats little room to operate and had their offense in gear for a 5-0 win.
The Cats’ reserved spot in the state playoffs is their first since 2021.
“One of our primary goals this season was to make the state playoffs, and I am thrilled for the team in accomplishing this task,” said head coach Adam Palmer.
Lopez’s three goals gave her 18 in region matches to cap her senior season as the region’s top scorer.
“I’m very happy for her to achieve this in her senior season,” said Palmer. “Her teammates did a fantastic job in providing her opportunities to score during region play.”
Freshman Joei Marshall netted a goal as well and her assist gave her 11 in six region matches, which is tops among Region 7-3A players.
“Marshall scored a beautiful goal off of a switch of fields along with an assist, to make her the fourth leading scorer in the region with eight goals and the first ranked player in assists,” Palmer noted.
One of Lopez’s goals came on a penalty kick. Teammate Gimena Domingo-Tercero scored a goal on a breakaway, and Angelica Castaneda added a goal off a header in the box. Both Domingo-Tercero and Castaneda contributed an assist to their stat lines.
Northwest Whitfield is one of the top ranked teams in the classification and has scored the most goals among region teams in region matches.
“We struggled to capitalize on the few opportunities we had,” said Palmer. “Our team has continued to fight and compete regardless of injuries and various other circumstances that have limited the play of several starters. I’m very proud of the team for making the necessary adjustments to overcome these challenges.”
The Cats have four more nonregion matches to close out the regular season. With a current state playoff power ranking of 21, remaining matches will affect playoff seeding.
“We will continue working to prepare for each upcoming opponent as the state tournament approaches,” Palmer said.
GHS ended region play with a 4-2 record and are 7-5 overall. Chestatee will be in town Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. match.