Final whistle: Lady Mavericks’ soccer journey ends in sectional heartbreaker
Anderson County’s Lily Trant is surrounded by defenders during the Lady Mavericks’ sub-state matchup against the Lady Vikings from Tennessee High. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Lady Mavericks (12-7-1) saw their campaign end Saturday at home with a 2-1 loss to Tennessee High School in a state sectional match.
The Lady Vikings advanced to the state tournament by beating Anderson County in Clinton for the second-consecutive year.
Tennessee won last season’s match in the sectional, notching a 1-0 victory.
In Saturday’s game, the Lady Vikings got off to a fast start, scoring the first two goals and opening a 2-0 advantage by halftime.
Emma Leander, in her final match with the Lady Mavericks, scored Anderson County’s lone goal.
In 2024, ACHS swept through its District 4-AA schedule and won the district tournament with a 5-1 win over crosstown rival Clinton.
The Lady Mavs also won last week’s Region 2-AA tournament with a 2-0 victory over District 3-AA champion Seymour.
The match was locked in ascoreless tie at halftime, before Leander tallied twice in the second half against the Lady Eagles, who lost their state sectional match at Greeneville Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Mavericks opened region tournament play with a 6-0 victory over Carter in an elimination semifinal game.
Leander had a hand in all six of Anderson County’s goals against the Lady Hornets, scoring four times and dishing out two assists in that match.
Lily Trent and Roxana Aguilar also found the back of the net in the regional semifinals.
Leander scored 40 goals this season, her final campaign with the Lady Mavericks.