Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Lady Cavs got their season off to a positive start with a 2-0 win over Livingston Academy on Thursday.
Senior Avery Brown scored both goals, the first of which was assisted by junior Olivia Hudson. Brown’s second score of the game was on a penalty kick, as the Lady Cavs kept Livingston off the board for 90 minutes.
“It’s our first regular-season game, and you never really know what you’re going to get,” said head coach Lauren Metts. “Last year, Livingston came out and played an incredible game against us that we ended up tying, so I think that fueled our fire a little bit more this year.”
Defensively, sophomore Ava Luna faced very few shots on goal. That’s something Metts attributes to her back-line and their excellent play as a unit.
“I really liked how they played,” Metts said. “They’re a unit back there, not one person cleaning out the trash. They’re very encouraging to one another if you listen to them, and I’m so proud of their mentality and how they treat each other, and that’s half the battle.”
It’s a good start to the season for Cookeville after a 2020 campaign that saw them fall a game short of the state tournament in Murfreesboro. For Metts, she’s hopeful that a tough preseason slate prepared the Lady Cavs for the teams they will see further into the season.
“We played some really good teams in the preseason, so we’ve taken our hits before the season even started,” Metts said. “The way they showed up tonight from the first whistle, I’m very happy. I’m happy with what we did on the field, and I’m happy with what we did with the girls on the sidelines…this is our first team-win of the season.”
