Injuries plague Oak Ridge girls
The 2024 high school girls soccer season is winding down, but the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats have faced more than their share of challenges.
With three consecutive losses, the team fell to Powell 5-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 24..
The Lady Wildcats (7-5, 3-2 in District 3-AAA) have been hit hard by injuries, with first-year Coach Trenna Underwood sharing that the team has now suffered its fourth ACL tear of the season.
Additionally, another defender is out due to a stress fracture, leaving the team with little depth on the back line.
“We’ve had to cancel the remainder of our JV games because we’ve had to call so many of those girls up,” Underwood said.
Despite their defensive challenges, Oak Ridge held strong against Powell (10-2, 5-0), the regular-season district champions, playing to a 0-0 draw through the first 52 minutes of the match.
“I was really pleased with the way we played in that first half,” Underwood said.
Powell eventually broke the deadlock when forward Sifa Morgan scored with around 28 minutes left.
Morgan’s goal was the first of three for her, as she completed a hat trick in the second half. Powell added two more goals from Avery Smith, ultimately clinching the No. 1 seed in the district tournament with the win.
The Lady Wildcats have three home games this week. They faced Anderson County on Tuesday, but results were unavailable at press time. Oak Ridge will close out the regular season against Knoxville Catholic on Thursday, with kickoff at 7 p.m.
