by Rusty Ellis
Photo by Michael Lindsay
It’s time for postseason soccer, as the District 6AA Tournament begins on Monday night with two first-round matchups that will take place in Smithville and Crossville.
Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament.
Livingston and Cumberland County Earn First-Round Byes
David Sadler kept the Livingston Academy soccer machine moving this season, as the Lady Wildcats opened the year with a nine-match winning streak before losing a tight 2-1 decision to Cookeville. It becomes even more impressive when you factor in that senior Lilly Copeland tore her ACL before the season started, meaning on a team with so many players in new positions, even more was required of them.
Saying they responded would be an understatement, as players like Taryn Childers, Tara Hinds and Ella Copeland all stepped up and led the Lady Wildcats to a 14-1 overall record, including an unblemished 7-0 mark in district play. They’ll play the winner of DeKalb-Upperman on Tuesday at 7 P.M. at Cumberland County.
Cumberland County is right there with Livingston after finishing their season 11-6-1 overall and 6-1 in district play. That lone blemish was a 5-1 defeat to LA, but the Lady Jets were really good against the rest of the district. Leading the way for CCHS was freshman Mariana Alva, who impressed in a big way in September against DeKalb when she scored five goals in a 6-1 win. She also added a game-winning goal against county rival Stone Memorial to her resume.
Add in star midfielder Grace Baldwin and experienced keeper Jaci Brannon, and the Lady Jets are a team to be reckoned with no matter who they match up against. They’ll host the winner of Stone Memorial-White County on Tuesday at 5 P.M.
First-Round Gets Started On Monday
The opening round begins on Monday at 6 P.M., and it features two matchups between Stone Memorial and White County and Upperman and DeKalb County.
Stone Memorial (7-7-1) hosts the Warriorettes, a team they defeated 5-0 back on September 29. For White County (3-10) to have a chance in this game, they’ll have to find a way to slow down Stone’s all-time leading scorer Lilly Boston. Boston’s been used all over the field by first-year head coach Tyler Rutherford, who’s also the program’s third coach in three seasons. Sparta will also have to keep an eye on Haley Suggs, Shelby Vitous and Emma Thompson, who could all benefit from too much attention being paid to Boston.
In Smithville, the DeKalb County Lady Tigers (6-7-1) host Upperman (1-13). While the records may look drastically different, Upperman did manage to score three goals against DeKalb County back on September 19 in an 8-3 Lady Tiger victory. It’s the most goals they scored all year, even eclipsing their lone win against York. For DeKalb County, they know they’ll have to tighten the defense up to make sure that doesn’t happen again on Monday evening.
Full coverage of both first-round games can be found on Uppercumberlandreporter.com, featuring a full story, highlights and photos from the two matches.