Two Hardin Valley girls combined for 10 shots and three goals in a 4-1 win over the Lady Wildcats in Oak Ridge on Wednesday.
Paige Hewitt had five shots and two goals for Hardin Valley, and Gabby Powers had five shots and one goal.
Reagan Ely also scored for the Lady Hawks.
Macy Barclay had the lone goal for Oak Ridge (11-3, 4-1 District 3-Class AAA).
Hardin Valley (9-3-1, 5-1 District 4-Class AAA) dominated in shots on goal in the first half, leading by an 8-1 margin at halftime.
Powers, who also had one assist, scored first early on Wednesday on a high kick from about 30 yards out about one minute into the game.
Neither team scored the rest of the half, although both teams had opportunities.
The Lady Wildcats didn’t have their second shot of the game until about five minutes into the second half.
But Oak Ridge tied the game 1-1 at 27:44 in the second half on a header by Barclay after the second of two corner kicks. Barclay had four shots on goal for the Lady Wildcats.
The shot ratio at that point was 9-3, and Oak Ridge stepped up its pressure in the next few minutes, adding three more shots in the next nine minutes, compared to one for Hardin Valley.
But Hewitt scored the first of her two goals about four minutes later, at 14:14 in the second half. She scored again another four minutes later, giving the Lady Hawks a 3-1 lead at 10:49.
Hardin Valley sealed the deal with 6:20 remaining on a header by Ely that rolled in between the legs of Oak Ridge goalkeeper Jasmine Rizk, giving the Lady Hawks, who made it to the Class AAA state quarterfinals last year, a 4-1 lead.
First-year Hardin Valley coach Mark Patterson said the Lady Hawks started the game well and passed well.
But then they appeared to get complacent, he said. Oak Ridge stepped up its pressure, but the Lady Hawks dug deep and showed great character and determination, Patterson said.
Once they got their second goal, Hardin Valley went back to its good style, he said.
Besides Powers, Hewitt, and Ely, center back Kelsie Klett and Dominique Rowe also played well, Patterson said. Both had an assist, and Rowe also had a shot on goal. Gwen Breslin of Hardin Valley had three shots on goal.
In addition to her score, Barclay had four shots on goal for Oak Ridge, and Ellie Brown had two.
The Lady Wildcats won their first 10 games, but they have lost three of their last four. Still, they only have one district loss.
Hardin Valley’s one district loss has been to Farragut. The Lady Admirals also beat Oak Ridge, shutting out the Lady Wildcats 3-0 on September 21. Hardin Valley and Farragut (11-2-1, 5-1) are District 4 teams, and Oak Ridge is a District 3 team.
The one district loss for the Lady Wildcats was to Powell (7-2-3, 4-0) on September 10. The last win for Oak Ridge was an 8-0 blowout (7-4, 2-2) at Gibbs on September 15.
The Lady Wildcats have three games remaining in the regular soccer season: Knoxville Catholic on Tuesday, September 29; Bearden on Thursday, October 1; and Webb on Tuesday, October 6. All games are at home and start at 7 p.m.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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