East Hamilton High School’s Lady Hurricanes made an early State Tournament statement as they shut out the South Gibson Hornets 4-0.
The Lady Canes maintained control of the match from start to finish with persistent offensive pressure and stingy defense that kept South Gibson’s attackers hemmed in for the full 80 minutes of play.
Both schools may need to consider raising the budget of their athletic departments to match the hefty price tag of the industrial-strength bleach and laundry detergent that will surely be necessary in removing the dark green splotches from each player’s uniform.
The match began with 11 white jerseys taking on 11 blue jerseys, but not long after the first whistle, the teams more closely resembled a unified force clad in military-grade camouflage that blended them in with the pitch.
Most everyone who took the field hit the ground at some point in this physical matchup that included upwards of 10 total fouls and a yellow card to boot. The athletes’ willingness to put their bodies on the line was evident from the start, as just 5 minutes into the match, East Hamilton’s Morgan Washington was fouled and had to be helped to the sideline where she remained for the rest of the game.
The loss of a key attacker didn’t seem to hinder the potency of the Lady Cane’s offense, however as East Hamilton continued to find themselves with scoring opportunities, finally breaking through in the 30th minute as Zoey Burgner collected a pass behind the defense and ripped a shot past the goalie into the far corner of the net to put her team ahead 1-0.
“I think we really used the physical play to our advantage,” said East Hamilton head coach Eugene Nelson. “We’ve played some really physical teams in the past so that has really helped us out going into this game, and going into State.”
Going into the half leading by only one goal likely wouldn’t have felt like a positive for the Lady Canes as they came up just short on a plethora of scoring chances during the first period of play. Instead, just three minutes later, Alaina Fortune put a long free-kick on net where it careened off of the goalkeeper’s chest and onto the shoelaces of Megan Corvin, who drove it into the back of the net to double East Hamilton’s lead.
The South Gibson Hornets were re-energized and more aggressive as the second half began, but their attempts to cut into their deficit were spoiled by the impenetrable wall that was the Lady Canes’ defense. Jesse Woodcook and Olivia Brumeller led the way in keeping their goalie out of potentially vulnerable positions by stepping in front of Hornet attackers and snuffing out chances before they developed into legitimate threats.
East Hamilton continued applying pressure of their own in the second half with well-timed runs met by accurate through balls which they routinely converted into scoring opportunities by making precise crosses into the box for awaiting teammates. 13 minutes into the second half, Zoey Burgner’s left foot delivered a corner kick high into the box where a handful of players collided, resulting in the Hornet goalie hitting the turf, and East Hamilton’s Natalie Simulis netting the loose ball to help her team to a 3-0 advantage. South Gibson Goalkeeper Ava Odle remained on the ground for several minutes, before being helped off the pitch by the athletic training staff, who certainly earned their compensation in a game that surely resulted in bumps and bruises for everyone involved. After a few moments of medical attention on the sideline, Odle returned to her post and finished the game.
Looking for the dagger, the Lady Canes offense made their most superb play yet, as Natalie Simulis stole the ball and made an accurate feed to Zoey Burgner whose clever one-touch pass left Diamond Stephens with a perfect widow to get a shot off. Stephens rifled a shot beyond the goalie’s fingers where it soared into the back corner of the net and shook the entire goal upon impact. It was a well-deserved goal for Stephens who had applied pressure all game long and narrowly missed on several previous attempts.
East Hamilton held onto their 4-0 lead for the remaining 18 minutes of play and earned an impressive win.
“I think our seniors are starting to see the end so they’re really getting locked in,” said East Hamilton head coach Eugene Nelson, “They’re getting the team locked in and focused. That really helped our intensity level right out of the gate.”
East Hamilton will go on to play Murfreesboro Central on Thursday at 6:30 pm.
SUMMARY
EHHS: 2 2 - 4
SGHS: 0 0 - 0
Goal Scorers: EHHS: Zoey Burgner, Megan Corvin, Natalie Simulis, Diamond Stephens