THOMPSON’S STATION The Class AAA sectional soccer round has signaled the end of the season for the Hendersonville High girls soccer team in each of the last four years.
The Hendersonville High girls soccer team celebrates after junior Sydney Cason (25) scored the game-tying goal in the second half of Saturday evening’s Class AAA sectional match at Independence. Cason scored two goals in the Lady Commandos’ 3-1 victory, sending the team to the Class AAA State Tournament.
On Saturday evening, the Lady Commandos broke through in the second half, punching their ticket to the Class AAA State Tournament with a 3-1 victory at Independence.
Not even a halftime deficit kept Hendersonville (15-4-3) down as junior Sydney Cason scored twice and senior Maddie Kimler also tallied to propel the Lady Commandos into the state tournament for the first time since 2006.
“Honestly, there’s something about going (to the state tournament) my senior year … it’s like ending with a bang,” Kimler said. “I’m not saying I wouldn’t have wanted to go the other three years, but it just makes it that much sweeter.”
Kimler’s goal was the go-ahead score as she found space at the top of the penalty area after collecting a cross from sophomore Brooke Long. Kimler turned and fired a shot that found the top, left corner of the net after sailing past Independence senior goalkeeper Sam Colley with 16:16 remaining.
Hendersonville High junior Arden Butler battles with Independence junior Julie Garst for possession during first-half action.
Cason evened the match with 30 minutes remaining, connecting on a free kick from just outside the left, front corner of the penalty area. Her low shot curled inside the right post, past a diving Colley.
“The goalkeeper was very tall, and the wall was covering the whole left side of the goal,” Cason said. “I just tried to play it low to the right side and hope that she wouldn’t be able to stretch that far. And if she could, I knew I’d have teammates crashing in.”
Cason added her second goal with 11:26 left, after sophomore Haley Stevens drew a foul in the box.
“I tried not to psych myself out, especially knowing the stakes,” Cason said of the penalty kick. “I wanted us to get up another goal, but I just tried not to think about it and just went up and hit it.”
Cason had just moved in from Michigan during the season and has made an immediate impact in the midfield. She has verbally committed to Western Michigan University to play soccer.
“I just came in a month or two ago,” Cason said. “They’ve all been so welcomingm and they’re so hard-working. It’s great to come on to a team that all has the same goal in mind. In Michigan, my team never made it this far. This is a special group.”
Hendersonville High sophomore Brooke Long clears the ball downfield and away from Independence junior Sarah Mathis during first-half action.
The second-half surge allowed the Lady Commandos to oust a Williamson County opponent, after teams from District 11-AAA had eliminated Hendersonville in each of the last four years.
“It’s awesome for the program,” Hendersonville head coach Russ Plummer said. “You can’t say enough about these girls and what they do. To be down 1-0 at half and not give up and be so coachable … they just keep fighting and fighting. It’s unbelievable.”
Hendersonville had won nine consecutive matches before suffering a 2-1 loss to Clarksville on Wednesday in the Region 5-AAA Tournament championship match.
“They bounced back from losing to Clarksville,” Plummer said. “They were excited to play, very attentive the next two days in training, and they wanted to get here.”
Junior goalkeeper Makensie Cotter made eight saves and had a busy evening, also collecting a yellow card after a collision in the first half. She was forced to leave the match for the infraction, with sophomore Mandy Schmidle taking over for approximately 40 seconds until the next substitutions were allowed.
Julie Garst gave the Lady Eagles (13-2-1) a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute, an advantage that stood up for the remainder of the first half.
Hendersonville High sophomore Morgan Wettengel dribbles upfield amidst pressure from Independence senior Lauren Shomo during first-half action.
The Lady Commandos will learn of their quarterfinal opponent on Sunday when the brackets are released.
Plummer said that it’s a good feeling to get over the hump, for past teams as well.
“They’re not just doing it for themselves,” Plummer said. “They’re doing it for the program, and those teams that couldn’t get here … all those people that write, call and come back to visit. It’s just a program unlike any other that you don’t see every day.”
The Class AAA State Tournament is slated to begin on Wednesday afternoon at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro.
Hendersonville High senior Layne Massey chips the ball past Independence sophomore Madison Frantz during first-half action.
“I’ve probably never felt this happy in my entire life,” Cotter said. “I’m just so happy that we did it.”
Reach Chris Brooks at 615-575-7118 or on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
Class AAA sectional results
Maryville 1, Science Hill 0
Hardin Valley 2, Tennessee 0
Lincoln County 1, Walker Valley 0
Cookeville 2, Oakland 1
Clarksville 2, Brentwood 1
Hendersonville 3, Independence 1
Collierville 1, Arlington 0
Houston 6, Bartlett 0