Lady Mavs blank Gibbs for district crown
Anderson County’s Kate Swisher sends a shot into the back of the net against Union County during the Lady Mavericks’ 4-0 victory in the District 4-AA soccer tournament semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 13. The win propelled Anderson County into the district championship match. (photo:Tony Cox )
The Lady Mavs captured the district championship with a 2-0 shutout of Gibbs at home Thursday night, Oct. 15, improving to 12-5-1 and fueling Coach Chris Curtin’s expectations for the postseason.
“I’m real proud of my girls,” Curtin said. “They’ve worked hard to get here, and I expect them to continue to do great things.
“I think that overall this has been a good year for development and growth,” he said. “We have probably more strength spread evenly across the field than we’ve ever had before.
“I really think that this is the year that we make it to the state tournament,” he added.
The Lady Mavs opened tournament play with a dominating 4-0 victory over Union County in the semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Anderson County.
“It was also our Senior Night, so our whole senior class got in multiple times,” Curtin said. “It was good.”
Against Union County, senior striker Roxanna Aguilar, senior wing Natalie Sellers, Eden Stout and Kate Swisher each scored goals. Seniors Morgan Haire and Lily Trent contributed assists.
In the championship match against Gibbs, Trent and freshman defender Leah Nichols provided the offense, each scoring an unassisted goal.
Senior goalkeeper Bria Willis anchored the Lady Mavs’ defense in both matches, recording back-to-back shutouts.
Willis surpassed 300 career saves during the regular season.
Anderson County also honored its seniors during the Oct. 13 semifinal, with a special appearance by the Smoky Mountain Corvette Club adding to the festivities.
“The club came out and brought some nice Corvettes,” Curtin said. “And that was really nice of them. We really appreciate that.
“The Corvettes were led out onto the track by our school resource officer,” he said.
“He’s a Sheriff’s Office guy; everybody calls him ‘Hollywood.’”
Other Lady Mavs seniors honored were defenders Anna Gross and Makayla Pinkki, wing Ashlynn Sexton and striker Kali Valentyne.
With the district championship secured, Anderson County turned its attention to the Region 2-AA tournament.
The Lady Mavs were scheduled to host District 3 runner-up Carter in a region semifinal Tuesday, Oct. 20, after press time.
A victory over Carter would keep Anderson County’s season alive and send the Lady Mavs into the region championship match Thursday, Oct. 22.
Sectional play is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, with the Lady Mavs hoping to move one step closer to their ultimate goal — a berth in the state tournament.