Hendersonville, TN – For years good girls high school soccer teams from Clarksville had all suffered the same fate when traveling to Hendersonville High School to play the Commandos on their home field – a loss.
Well that all ended October 23rd in the final of the Region 5-AAA tournament, as the Clarksville High School Lady Wildcats thumped Hendersonville 8-2 to win its second consecutive region title.
“I thought when we got five (goals) I said surely we won’t lose,” Clarksville high coach Jeff Jordan said. “But you don’t want to stop playing too early.”
The Lady Wildcats proved right from the start that they were the better team on this night, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first eight minutes of play.
Junior Ella Baggett would get the scoring started in the fifth minute, as she took a cross from senior Amber Colvin and put it into the back to the net for a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, Baggett would score again – this time off an assist from freshman Alexis Hayes.
Less than a minute later, the Lady Wildcats made it 3-0 on a goal by Colvin off a through ball from sophomore Kelsey Greiff.
“Whatever their plans were we popped them real quick,” Jordan said. “Hendersonville is a great team and on another day it may be different, bet we were efficient, unselfish with the ball and playing the ball to the open pass.”
Hendersonville (16-6-0) would cut the Clarksville High lead to 3-1 with a goal from Emma Svedin off a cross from Peyton Sheehan in the 10th minute.
But CHS would answer right back with Colvin scoring her second goal of the first half in the 13th minute, after she intercepted a pass from the Commandos and beat the keeper in a 1-on-1 situation making it 4-1.
The final goal of the first half came in the 30th minute, with Baggett scoring her third goal of the half when she stole the ball away from Hendersonville and beat the keeper top shelf into the left corner of the net.
But that would be as close as the Commandos would get the rest of the way, with Clarksville tallying three more goals.
The first was by Colvin, who scored her third goal of the night, in the 54th minute unassisted, while the second was by sophomore Salera Jordan in the 62nd minute off an assist by Baggett.
The final goal of the night for Clarksville high came in the 66th minute, as Baggett authored her fourth goal of the night off a through ball from Jordan.
“That was the first time anyone had scored four goals for us this year,” Jordan said. “We don’t usually allow that, but to get a double hat trick from two girls in a playoff game against a team the caliber of Hendersonville is special.”
Overall, Clarksville High outshot Hendersonville 23-16 and 18-10 in shots on goal, while the Commandos did hold a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Melia Correa was in goal for CHS recording seven saves.
