Lady Patriots set to make state soccer tourney debut
The 2021 girls’ soccer season will be one Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences will never forget. Perhaps even program changing.
After only winning nine matches over the previous three seasons, a mix of senior leadership and youthful influx has led the Lady Patriots to their first TSSAA state tournament.
David Poss’ Class A squad has advanced in a rather dominant manner.
CSAS is 17-3-1 overall on the season and will take on Madison Magnet (11-31) in the state quarterfinals from Baylor School at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. As of Tuesday, 150 CSAS students had already made plans to attend the state match.
“Going to the state tournament for the first time means so much to our school and to all of us who haven’t had a record anywhere close to this in the past,” senior Jensen Ware said. “We are going to live in the moment and cherish every second. This is s0mething none of us saw coming.”
Five other local programs will also compete in the state tournament. The Class AA quarterfinals at Chattanooga Christian will feature Signal Mountain (13-5-1) against Page (17-3-1) at 1:30 while East Hamilton (12-5) plays South Gibson (16-1-3) at 6:30.
McMinn County (14-3-1) will play Collierville (14-1-1) in the Class AAA quarterfinals at 4 p.m. from GPS.
On Thursday the Division II-AA semifinals will feature Harpeth Hall (18-1-3) against GPS (11-4-1) at 11 a.m. while Baylor (15-1-2) will play CPA (9-1-2) at 1:30. Both matches will be played at CCS.
CSAS all-district junior standout Audrey Benson looks back to a key moment this past summer when the seniors on the team had everyone put in extra practice and workouts for what has turned into a historic run.
“This team has a different drive than any other we’ve been a part of,” Benson said. “We had a hunger to prove ourselves and fight for something bigger than ourselves.”
Sophomore Cheyenne Frye has been one of the key sparks for the Lady Patriots, who have several younger talents around the field. Frye, who has over 20 goals, believes team chemistry is the biggest factor in the dramatic turnaround.
“We are really connected and everyone loves playing out there with each other,” Frye said. “It’s really exciting to get this far. We have all worked so hard.”
CSAS won its first region title with a 2-1 win over Cascade and then took down Smith County, 4-2, in the substate victory which ended with a dogpile celebration.
Changing the culture around the program means the world to the seven seniors.
“I am so happy to be a part of this team,” senior Ryann Edgemon said. “It’s a surreal moment to make history and go to state with this team. We don’t want to just go. We want to win it all.”