Four days … Three sites … 24 schools vying for state titles in Four Divisions as the 27th annual TSSAA girls’ state soccer championship begins today.

Chattanooga is well represented as Notre Dame and Chattanooga Christian are in D-I A-AA, Soddy-Daisy will battle in D-I AAA and Baylor and GPS compete in D-II AA.

Returning Champions: Three returning champions … Baylor (D-II AA), Univ. School of Jackson (D-II A) and Christian Academy of Knoxville (D-I A-AA).

Baylor has won eight state titles, including the last two, CAK has won two of the last three and four of the last six and USJ is a two-time defending champion.

Locations Today: Play begins this morning at 11 as quarterfinal matches are at Chattanooga Christian (D-I A-AA) and Baylor (D-I AAA) … D-II A and AA semis are Friday at Baylor. 

Saturday Finals: Finals in four divisions will be played Saturday at GPS beginning with D-I A-AA at 11 a.m.

Web Site: tssaa.org has the four brackets and results will be posted after each match

D-I  A-AA at Chattanooga Christian: Quarterfinals (Wed.) and Semifinals (Thurs.) will be played at CCS … Finals are Saturday at 11 a.m. at GPS

 Opening Match: 11 a.m., Elizabethton vs. CCS … 4 p.m., Notre Dame vs. White House

Favorites: CAK and Christ Presbyterian Academy … CAK def. CPA, 6-3, in the 2011 final … CAK, Notre Dame and CCS are past state champions …

CAK (21-0-3): Since losing to Notre Dame in 2010 state final, CAK is 45-1-4 ... loss was to Farragut in Oct. 2011.

Chattanooga Teams

Notre Dame (11-2-5) … District and Region Champions … State Champs: 1988, 2010 … Coach Jim Schermerhorn, 11th season  

Key Players: Emma Higgins (14 goals,  5 assists), Blair Barker (7 goals, 6 assists)

Defensively, the Irish are led by Mackenzie Nadeau (3 goals, 5 assists), Maddie Robbins, Courtney Boyd (3 assists) and Laura Champion (1 goal)

Goalkeeper: Natalie Graham (12 goals against, .667)

The Irish have made it to the state semis or beyond the past seven years, including back-to-back finals in 2009 and 2010 (champs) ..

Chattanooga Christian (15-4-4) …    State Champs: 1997

Last 10 years – state runner-up in 2002, 2004 ... state semis in 2003-07-2011 …

Coach:  Cal Sneller, 20th season (271-103-57)

Key Players: Ashley Simmons (12 goals, 3 assists) Hannah Henry (10 goals, 1 assist), Allie Sullivan (5 goals, 4 assists) and Ellie Henry (3 goals, 7 assists)

Goalkeeper Ellen Stone (15 goals allowed, 21 matches)

Sisters: Ellie and Hannah Henry … Kruesi and Beata Brock

Two of four losses are to Notre Dame in district and region finals

D-I AAA at Baylor: Quarterfinals (Wed.) and Semifinals (Thurs.) will be played at Baylor … Finals are Saturday at 11 a.m. at GPS

Opening Match: 11 a.m., Houston vs. Knox. Catholic … (Houston def. Catholic, 3-0, Aug. 25)  … 4 p.m. Soddy Daisy vs. No.1 Farragut (Farragut def. SD, 4-1 in Sept.)

Tourney Favorites: Title could go to any of five teams …No.1 Farragut, No.3 Brentwood, No. 4 Clarksville, 2010 champ Houston or Knox. Catholic.

No.1 Farragut is 46-1-3 last two years … last loss was to Franklin in 2011 state finals ...

has beaten District 4 foe Knox. Catholic, three times ... but No.11 Catholic (14-6-4) eliminated then No.2 Oak Ridge in region semis on PKs …

No.9 Houston has beaten Knox. Catholic (3-0) and No.3 Brentwood defeated 2011 state champ Franklin, in Region 6 final …

No.4 Clarksville (20-4-0) beat 2011 state champ Franklin in sectional and has allowed only three goals in last five weeks.

Chattanooga Team
Soddy Daisy (18-2-3) … District, Region, Sectional champions … seniors have 74 wins (ties a school record) in four years and three trips to state tourney … Six returning starters from team that lost to Franklin in 2011 state semis …

Key Players: Seniors Summer Lanter (32 goals, 17 assists – 100 career goals) and Natalie Smith (10 goals, 14 assists), juniors Miranda Smith (20 goals, 23 assists) and Megan Weller (14 goals, 5 assists)

Top defenders are Emily Bryan, Kaily Groover and Casey Helmick

Goalkeeper: Baylee Burk, 28 goals allowed, 1.40 avg

Coach: Moises Drumond, 11 years (154-47-20)  ... who also plays for the Chattanooga FC semi-pro soccer team which reached the league finals this past summer.

D-II AA at GPS: Semifinals (Friday) and Finals (Saturday)

Semis: 4 p.m. – Baylor vs. Father Ryan … 6:30 p.m. – GPS vs. Harpeth Hall

Tourney Favorites: All four teams can make a case as favorite …

Baylor is two-time defending champ …  has road losses at Ryan and GPS and home win against Harpeth Hall …

GPS is 13-1-2 with a win over Baylor and ties with Ryan (home) and Harpeth Hall (away) ... only loss was season-opener to Oak Ridge.

Father Ryan (10-3-4) beat No.1 seed St. Agnes in the state quarters and beat Baylor, lost by one goal at GPS and tied Harpeth Hall (away) …

Harpeth Hall tied GPS and Ryan and a one goal loss to Baylor …

Chattanooga Teams

GPS (14-1-2) … coach Leland Strang has seven returning starters … Bruisers last reached the state Final Four in 2007 when current seniors were sixth graders…

Key Players: Izzy Phillips (6 goals, 3 assists), Akia Harris (8 goals, 9 assists) Keyle Snyder (7 goals, 9 assists)

Josie Love Roebuck, Abbi Harr, Blakely Fine lead the Bruiser defense

Goalkeeper: Soph. Savannah Williams (8 goals against in 17 matches)

Sisters: Marshall and Zoe Rustand

Coach: Leland Strang … 22-8-4 in two seasons … played at Baylor and U. of the South

Baylor (11-3-3 … two-time defending state champion … 4 starters back from 2011 team

Coach: Jimmy Weekley: 16th season, 287-30-29

Key Players: Brianna Avitabile (5 goals, 2 assists) , Gracey Prater (5 goals, 5 assists)

Defensively led by Nikki Johnston, Victioria Wicks, Lizzie Smith

Goalkeeper: Analiese Smith, 15 goals allowed, 8 shutouts

D-II A – Friday semis at Baylor … Saturday Finals at GPS

Semis: 4 p.m. Franklin Road Academy vs. St. George’s … 6:30 p.m. – Univ. School of Jackson vs. Univ. School of Nashville

Tourney Favorite: Two-time defending state champion USJ is 17-3 and comes in to the state with a 14-match win streak … beat St. George’s (3-2) in the West Region finals …

Also beat St. George’s in 2019 state finals and FRA in 2011 state finals.

USN lost to Franklin Road Academy, 2-0, in the East/Middle Region finals

contact B.B. Branton at wiliam.branton@comcast.net