Lady Wildcats’ run ends at Bearden
Madelyn Frazier attempts to move the ball down the field in the district semi-finals at Bearden Tuesday. (photo:Gloria Rust | ORHS Sports Media )
The Lady Wildcats closed a strong campaign with a 4-0 loss to perennial power Bearden in the Region 2-AAA Tournament semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Turner-Allender Field in West Knoxville.
Despite the defeat, Oak Ridge Coach Trenna Underwood said she was proud of her team’s effort and growth.
“If you look at this senior class, the biggest thing is from where we are and from where we came from — we’ve made the program relevant again, not only in the district but in the region,” Underwood said. “We had a good year, and that win over Bearden earlier in the season was history-making for us.”
Oak Ridge stunned the Lady Bulldogs 3-2 on their home pitch during the regular season, but the rematch in postseason play didn’t go the Wildcats’ way.
Still, Underwood said the score didn’t reflect how well her team competed.
“When you look at a 4-0 game in soccer, it looks pretty bad, but I don’t think that score was indicative of the game,” she said. “I was proud of them because we went over there and battled.”
Underwood, who has coached most of the seniors since they were 7 years old in club soccer, said the loss was especially emotional.
“I’m really proud of these girls — this senior class,” she said. “I’ve coached most of them for so long, and that made it really hard for them and for me.”