by Rusty Ellis
The Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats are making their return to the Class AA State Tournament after a two-year absence, thanks to a goal from Taryn Childers in double-overtime to give LA a 3-2 win over Signal Mountain.
The Lady Wildcats found themselves in uncharted territory in the first half, as Signal Mountain scored the only goal of the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
Childers scored her first goal just five minutes into the second half to tie the game, but Signal Mountain took the lead right back a minute later, a lead they held until the final four minutes of the game.
Ella Copeland drew a penalty in the box, and converted on the ensuing penalty kick to tie the game and force overtime.
76:16 Second Half
Ella Copeland breaks through for Livingston and we are tied at two near the end of regulation.
LA 2
Signal 2 pic.twitter.com/yCWMmNwwH4— Rusty Ellis (@RustyEllis_) October 23, 2022
The game moved to two 10-minute periods, with no golden goal allowed, and after the first period, the game was still tied at 2-2.
Childers finally gave LA a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with just under 40 seconds remaining in the game, as Livingston Academy broke a two-year drought to make it back to the State Tournament.
After the early adversity he saw the team face this season, head coach David Sadler made it clear that there was no way to adequately express his praise for the team.
“These girls have given so much for this,” Sadler said. “They’ve given everything they’ve got and this is just an incredibly rewarding moment for this group.”
It took a big speech at halftime to get the team back and focused despite the deficit, and Sadler said all he wanted to do was remind them of who they were and what they’d accomplished to this point.
“I told them ‘you are a family and now it’s time to go out and show it,'” Sadler said. “That’s exactly what they did, they came back from being down and they put it away. I can’t put it into words.”
Coach Heather Marshall was equally proud of the team, and despite the stress levels of the ending, she was quick to talk about how much they earned the win by playing as a team.
“We were down out of the gate and we never gave up,” Marshall said. “We’re not used to having to come back, so for them to dig deep as they did, I’m just so proud of them.”
The next time the Lady Wildcats take the field, it’ll be in the Class AA State Tournament in Chattanooga beginning on Oct. 26. Time, location and opponent are TBD.
Photos by Rusty Ellis:
