By Michael Lindsay
The 2023 District 7AA girls soccer tournament kicked off Monday night as Cumberland County Lady Jets defeated Upperman, 5-0.
The Lady Jets enter the district tournament as the #2 overall seed and down 3 midfield starters.
“The girls really stepped up and adjusted really well,” said Cumberland County head coach Cub Whitson. “Not having our midfield was pretty nerve-racking, but the girls showed they can show up and play well no matter the circumstances. That’s a big confidence booster going into Tuesday.”
Peyton Dunlap scored two goals along with one from Ariel Baker, Camille Tanner and Molly Neal.
“It was really good soccer,” Whitson said. “Every goal was assisted, which is huge for us. We’re using each other and finding passing lanes.”
Baker scored the game’s first goal with 24:51 remaining in the first half followed by Dunlap’s first less than one minute later to give the Lady Jets a 2-0 lead.
Dunlap later one-touched a shot into the net off a Tanner assist with 13:24 remaining in the first half to give Cumberland County a 3-0 halftime lead.
The Lady Jets put two more in the back of the net in the second half as Molly Neal scored with 30:42 remaining followed by Tanner’s goal with 23:38 on the clock to wrap up the 5-0 victory.
CCHS keeper Olivia Conner and the Lady Jet defense recorded their fourth shutout of the season.
“The defense played really well,” Whitson said. “They did a great job of staying goal side.”
Cumberland County advances to the District 7AA semifinals tonight (Tuesday) as they face DeKalb County in the second semifinal match at 7 p.m. at the Upperman Soccer Complex located at 116 1st Ave S, Baxter, TN.
Watertown faces #1-seed Livingston Academy at 5 p.m.
