A 76th-minute goal from Kallie West was all GPS needed in their 1-0 victory over Division II East Region opponent Chattanooga Christian.
Though the score didn’t show it, the game was thoroughly dominated by the GPS squad. The Bruisers controlled time of possession by a large margin and seemed to be on the attack at all times. While CCS had opportunities to score as well, they were too few and far between to prove to be a serious threat to win the game.
The first half was highly contested, as both teams couldn’t find the net. GPS was mainly in possession and on the attack for the first 15 or so minutes, but once CCS was able to move the ball to their side for the next five minutes, Hadley Griffith was impressive setting up promising opportunities multiple times.
One thing became very clear during the early stages of the game. GPS senior captain Kennedy Ball was on the attack, and she showed it with her seven shots on goal during the match. Time and time again, Ball fought off and dribbled through defenders, many times multiple at once, but she was never able to get a shot in the back of the net.
Nothing was truly threatening until GPS’s Cullie Capeechi made a few defenders miss and tried for the net. A CCS defended deflected the ball to keep it from going in, or so they thought. The Bruisers' Brooke Arnold fought off her defender to rebound the ball and score with little time remaining in the half. Before they could celebrate, however, the referee called the goal off for an offsides penalty to keep the game knotted up at zero going to the break.
In the second half, much of the same proceeded, but to an even larger extent. The half, and final result frankly, could easily be explained by the work of the goalies. CCS goalie Annie Steele played an almost flawless game but had to working hard to do so. GPS goalie Farah House did play to perfection, but she rarely had any chances as her team prevented shots from ever being taken. GPS showed a real sense of urgency with about 20 minutes remaining in the match. They had been close to scoring countless times, and never let up during the late stretch.
Shot after shot couldn't find the goal, and it felt like they were due for one to get in. Finally, in the 76th minute, they prevailed as Mary Wamack made a great contested pass to the middle of the field to West. West stopped the ball and struck the ball from outside of the box into the next. The shot was perfectly placed at the top of the net, just inches out of Steele’s reach. The team and crowd erupted in cheers for the well-earned goal.
In the last 14 minutes, GPS kept the theme going and almost scored again, never giving a real chance for the Lady Chargers to respond. The game ended at 1-0, but the game was much more involved than the final score showed.
SUMMARY
GPS 0 1 - 1
CCS 0 0 - -
Goal Scorers: GPS (1) Kallie West