On the Bruiser Athletics website there is the definition of what a Bruiser is: “tough, aggressive, strong, unbreakable,” and more. The Bruisers of Girls Preparatory School displayed those characteristics in a near-perfect performance to capture the TSSAA Division II Class AA state title over the Briarcrest Christian Lady Saints, 4-1.
The dominant performance was led by seniors across the field for GPS such as Sasha Carbone, Kennedy Ball, and Ally McVay.
The forwards, Carbone and Ball, netted the four goals for the Bruisers while McVay kept any Lady Saints from having a clean shot at the goal.
“For some of them, it is the third final in the last five years,” said GPS head coach Patrick Winecoff. “To have the opportunity to come back and win it as seniors, they are not eighth graders (anymore), it was either they were going to do it, or it was not going to happen.”
The seniors did in fact come to play, and it took little time to establish that tone. Bruisers’ Kallie West sparked the offense with an early possession that pushed deep into Briarcrest territory. West would dribble the ball towards Briarcrest’s penalty area and send a last second cross into the center of the field. GPS’s Kennedy Ball would stutter step and fake the shot, allowing for the ball to roll behind her to Sasha Carbone who would whip the shot into the net.
It was four minutes in, and GPS had the early, 1-0, lead.
Although the goal would be the only score of the first half, the Bruisers made their presence felt with a 7-4 shot advantage over the Lady Saints. Most of Briarcrest’s shots were routine saves anyway, as a stiff defense did not allow for any close calls.
The half allowed for the GPS starters to regain their breath, but frequent substitutions and positional changes kept their legs fresh throughout the match.
“We are actually pretty deep even with young kids going out there. They can handle their own and they are good players,” said coach Winecoff. “We had an overtime game yesterday, so we were trying to get them in position, so they basically don’t clock out. We were trying to get them out, get them back in, and get them some water and keep things moving.”
Coming out of the break, the Bruisers would attack similarly to their first half goal. As soon as the whistle sounded, GPS was on a march to Briarcrest’s goal. Senior Hayden Wise pushed towards the opponent's box to send a cross to Ball. There, Ball would use her fake-kick trick again, and let the pass go to the unaccounted, back-post sprinting Carbone. The easy one-tap shot would go in and extend the lead, 2-0, in the 49th minute.
GPS’s Ball would begin to show off her skills as she would slice and dice through the Lady Saints defenders. With a free kick at center field, McVay would beeline a shot into Briarcrest’s goalkeeper, but a mishandled catch would allow for Ball to intercept the second chance, turn around and net a goal. It was all Bruisers, 3-0, in the championship game.
But give credit to the Lady Saints as they continued to fight. In the 68th minute, shortly after Ball’s goal, Briarcrest’s Alyssa Tinsley would take a gamble and shoot an off-balanced shot towards the goal. The gamble would pay off as the shot deflected off a GPS defender, messing up the goalkeeper’s rhythm and diving attempt, and into the net. The goal would be the lone score for the Lady Saints.
Five minutes later, it would be business as usual. The Bruisers would not take the score lightly and mount another attack. After a chaotic cross pinballed around in the box, Ball would somehow end up with it on the right post. As defenders closed in, Ball would send an outlet pass to Carbone towards the left-side of the penalty area. There, Carbone captured the hat trick with the goal in the 74th minute.
The merged McCallie and GPS student section began the soccer chant, “I Believe That We Will Win” and the Bruisers cruised to victory as the blue-colored stadium roared.
“It means so much,” said an in-awe Kennedy Ball following her final game. “I am speechless. It is all surreal.”
It was about soaking the moment in. It was all smiles, picture-taking, and hugs around the field and stadium. The Bruisers are crowned state champions once again, with their last title being in 2018, and add more memorabilia and a trophy to their trophy collection.
“I am super proud of them, and you see that it means the world to them,” said coach Winecoff. “It is something they are going to remember that they did with their classmates for a long time.”
Summary
BRIARCREST01 - 1
GPS 13 - 4
Goal Scorers: Briarcrest (1) Alyssa Tinsley; GPS (4) Sasha Carbone 3, Kennedy Ball 1.