Oak Ridge advances to state with romp

November 1, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - Rain forced Oak Ridge to postpone their sectional match with Sullivan South from Saturday to Sunday afternoon. When they finally got around to playing, the heavily favored Lady Wildcats did not disappoint, winning the lopsided affair 11-0.
       With this win, Oak Ridge advances to the state tournament and establishes itself as the premier soccer program in the Knoxville and East Tennessee area. The Lady Wildcats have made the state tournament for the seventh time in eight years and have won five Region 2-AAA title in the last eight years.
       The game was over early as Kaelyn Angelo scored unassisted in the 12th minute. Senior Alexis Franco scored a minute later for the 2-0 lead and Oak Ridge never looked back. Jennifer Lee added a goal in the 24th minute and Merritt Monger broke free a minute later and tucked the ball past the keeper.
       With the Lady Wildcats comfortably in the lead, Coach OJ Sheppard was able to use his bench early. Monger picked up her second goal in the 31st minute and just before the half she made it a hat trick for the 6-0 halftime lead.
       Early in the second half, Sullivan South won a corner and provided keeper Margo Quinn, who has made great strides over the last half of the season, with her only tough test. The corner sailed toward the near post and Quinn jostled with a Sullivan South player and punched the ball to keep the shutout intact.
       Starting at the 48th minute mark, Angelo, Oak Ridge's leading scorer, struck for three goals in six minutes. Two goals came on assists from Greta Jochmann. In the 56th minute Savannah Davis beat the keeper for the ninth goal. Oak Ridge added two more goals for the 11-0 final win.
       The state tournament begins on Wednesday in Chattanooga at GPS. Oak Ridge will face defending state champion Siegel on Wednesday at 4:30 in their quarterfinal match. Click here for the complete Class AAA bracket.

Lady Wildcats push through to sectional

October 28, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - The day after playing 106 minutes of soccer, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats had to face a West team that was on a roll and had dispatched perennial soccer powers Farragut and Bearden.
       The Lady Wildcats fought through heavy legs and while it was not pretty, they dominated their former District 3-AAA rival 4-0, earning home field advantage on Saturday in the Sectional.
       Both teams seemed a little sluggish having just played the night before. Jennifer Lee broke free on the left wing in the 10th minute and beat the West keeper with a nice shot into the side net and the 1-0 lead. That score held till halftime as neither team could muster much of an offensive punch.
       West started the second half with more energy. Oak Ridge weathered the little push and then began forcing the action. In the 53rd minute, Jennifer Lee weaved through three Rebel defenders and found herself one on one with the keeper who she beat for he second goal and the 2-0 lead.
       West continued to work hard and tried to muster an offensive attack, however in in the 59th minute, freshman Savannah Davis sent a nice cross into the box which slipped through the keeper's hands and rolled into the goal, giving Oak Ridge the 3-0 lead.
       That goal broke the Rebel's back. Oak Ridge added a late goal from Mariealaina Bouchard and the defense held firm for the final score of 4-0.
       Oak Ridge hosts Sullivan South on Saturday at 12:00 in the Sectional match-up. The winner advances to the state tournament in Chattanooga which starts next Wednesday.

Game Summary: Photos

Angelo's golden goal lifts Lady Wildcats

October 28, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - After almost 107 minutes of soccer, it looked like Oak Ridge and Bearden were heading for penalty kicks to decide the Region 2-AAA semifinal match. But an opportunistic Kaelyn Angelo, pounced on a loose ball off a corner kick with a little over three minutes left in the final golden goal period and scored to give the Lady Wildcats the 3-2 win and a berth in the Sectionals.
       Oak Ridge and Bearden were expected to play in the region championship, however, West upset Bearden in the District 4-AAA finals forcing the early match between two of the top ranked teams in the state.
       The atmosphere for the game was electric. Oak Ridge students filled the parking lot with a tailgating party before the game and the stands were filled before kickoff with a raucous crowd.
       The game started off with as much drama as the pre-game hype. Just after kickoff, a Bearden forward struck defender Tania Ayala in the face, knocking her to the ground and delaying the game for several minutes. Bearden continued in that vain as they were whistled for several aggressive fouls. But the Lady Wildcats kept their cool and could not be baited into retaliation.
       Early in the half, it was clear that Oak Ridge was going to dominate the midfield while Bearden was looking to play long balls over the top of the defense. The Lady Wildcats controlled the flow of the game and stayed in the Bulldog end of the field for much of the first 40 minutes.
       A combination of some great keeping from the Bearden keeper and some bad luck kept the Lady Wildcats off the board. Oak Ridge couldn't capitalize on some great opportunities to score as they hit the cross bar three times, twice in the same sequence of shots. The half ended in a 0-0 tie.
       The second half started off with Oak Ridge again pressing the Bulldog defensive third. In the 55th minute, Merritt Monger's well struck shot off a pass from Angelo and trickled through the Bearden keeper's hands and Oak Ridge was on top 1-0.
       Bearden was energized after the goal and immediately pressed the Oak Ridge defense. The Lady Wildcats were whistled for a controversial foul and Bearden capitalized with a ripped shot on the ensuing free kick that whistled past the near post for the 1-1 tie.
       In the 63rd minute, Angelo gave Oak Ridge the 2-1 lead. After cutting the ball back, she got off a hard shot that slipped through the keeper's hands yet again.
       But Bearden was up to the task. The Bulldogs began to press the defense again and finally got the equalizer in the 73rd minute after a series of headed balls ended up being volleyed perfectly just under the crossbar from about 22 yards out.
       The game stayed tied through two 10 minute overtimes. Bearden pressed hard in the first overtime and got off five shots. But keeper Margo Quinn and the defense kept them out of the goal.
       The first five minute golden goal period ended with no score. With a little over three minutes remaining before going to PKs to decide the winner, Angelo scored her dramatic game winning goal, bringing the Oak Ridge students charging onto the field for the celebration.
       On Thursday, Oak Ridge faces West, 2-1 winners over Powell, at 7:00 for the Region 2-AAA championships. Both teams will advance on Saturday to the Sectional.

Game Summary: Photos | Second Half Photos

Lady Wildcats force showdown with win in finals

October 23, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - Oak Ridge assumed they were on a collision course with region rival Bearden. They just didn't know it would be so soon. Nationally ranked Bearden was upset on Thursday by West in their district finals. On Friday, the Lady Wildcats set up the showdown next Tuesday with a convincing 5-0 win over Powell in the District 3-AAA championship.
       Kaelyn Angelo put to bed any thoughts of Oak Ridge not putting forth their best effort as she scored in the fifth minute on a well played ball from Jennifer Lee. Oak Ridge dominated play taking 21 shots and giving up none, but Powell keeper Amanda Huffaker made some tremendous saves to keep the score 1-0 at the half.
       The Lady Wildcats shot with much greater accuracy in the second half, scoring four goals on only 10 shots. Alexis Franco got Oak Ridge on the board first in the 13th minute with an unassisted goal to make it 2-0. Jazmin Otaduy-Ramirez teamed up with Angelo for perhaps the prettiest play of the day in the 26th minute. Otaduy-Ramirez broke free and dribbled straight at the keeper until she drew a Powell defender then laid a pretty ball off to Angelo who smashed it into the net.
       That goal took the fight out of Powell and Oak Ridge cruised to the 5-0 win. Hailey Nichols added a goal off a pass from Angelo that beat the keeper to the far post. Angelo added the hat trick just before the end of the game off an assist from Merritt Monger.
       Oak Ridge outshot Powell 31-1 in running their win-streak to 10 games. Bearden travels to Oak Ridge on Tuesday in the Region Semifinal. The winner will advance to the region final and be guaranteed a spot in the sectional.

Game Summary: Photos | Stats

Lady Wildcats clip the Beavers; Win streak at nine

October 21, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - The Lady Wildcats faced Karns in the district semifinal on Wednesday in a rematch of their regular season game just 15 days ago. While Karns played crisper and with more energy, the game ended in an identical 6-0 win for the Ridgers, running their win-streak to nine.
       Karns was more than a little pesky in the first half. Ten minutes in, Oak Ridge was still struggling to find a rhythm and a way to penetrate the Beavers defense.
       Oak Ridge settled down finally and began to find opportunities on goal. In the 31st minute Jennifer Lee ran onto a ball that was cleared from the goal and blasted it into the net to put Oak Ridge on top 1-0. That score stood till the half.
       Savannah Davis got Oak Ridge on the scoreboard early in the second half breaking free for an unassisted goal just two minutes into the half. That goal loosened up the Karns defense and the Lady Wildcats capitalized.
       In the 50th minute Kaelyn Angelo's shot from about 20 yards weaved through a host of Karns defenders in the box and beat the keeper, making the score 3-0.
       Just a minute later, Greta Jochmann found the net on a nice left-footed shot for the apparent 4-0 lead. However Oak Ridge was whistled for offside and the goal was wiped off. Lee got the goal back for the Lady Wildcats a few minutes later, scoring an unassisted goal for the 4-0 lead.
       In the 63rd minute Maddie Bishop lofted a nice ball over the Karns defense to a charging Merritt Monger who beat the keeper on a well placed shot. Monger added a second goal four minutes later to round out the scoring and give Oak Ridge the 6-0 win.
       Oak Ridge advances to the finals on Friday against Powell, 3-1 winners over Hardin Valley. The game time has been changed to 4:30.

Game Summary: Photos | Stats

Seniors Honorerd, Lady Wildcats roll on!

October 19, 2009

       Oak Ridge, TN - Clinton provided the opposition for the District Quarterfinals and Senior Night and the start to the 16-0 whitewashing could not have been scripted any better.
       Seniors Alexis Franco, Greta Jochmann, and Jennifer Lee were honored before the game and the trio then went out and scored the first three goals in 10 minutes.
       Franco got the Lady Wildcats on the board first just 35 seconds into the match taking a pass from Mariealaina Bouchard just outside the penalty arc and beating the keeper to her right.
       Five minutes later, Kaelyn Angelo was shoved from behind in the penalty box, picking up the penalty kick. Jochmann took the PK and calmly placed it in the right side net for a 2-0 lead.
       In the 11th minute, Lee went on one of her patented runs and after beating several Clinton Defenders she scored unassisted to push the score to 3-0.
       Jochmann added another goal on a PK after Bouchard was taken down in the box in the 24th minute. At that point, Coach OJ Sheppard substituted freely, but the Lady Wildcats continued to pound the Lady Dragons.
       In the 27th minute, Jazmin Otaduy-Ramirez made it 5-0 after taking a pass behind the defense and beating the charging Clinton keeper.
       Oak Ridge added goals from Merritt Monger in the 31st minute, and Otaduy-Ramirez in the 33rd minute and the Lady Wildcats led comfortably 7-0 at the half.
       The barrage of shots and goals continued in the second half. Kaelyn Angelo struck for two goals in a three minute span early in the half. Franco added a second goal a few minutes later followed by a goal from Savannah Davis. Karrin Boullie scored twice while Bouchard, Monger and Brie Holmes rounded out the scoring.
       The Lady Wildcats will face Karns, 4-3 winners over Halls, in the District semifinals on Wednesday at 7:00. Should the Lady Wildcats win, the finals will be on Friday at 4:30 in Oak Ridge.

Game Summary: Photos | Stats