Lady Wildcats soccer fall to Farragut

Oct 28, 2011
       FARRAGUT, Tenn. - As the final horn blew, the scoreboard read 5-0 Farragut and marked the final game of the season for the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team.
       However, it didn't mark how far the team that fought injuries and had just two seniors had come.
       "That scoreboard doesn't reflect it," Oak Ridge coach Tom Gorman said. "It's not coach speak. It's 1-0, and we need to change something; we do, and they bang home four goals.
       "It wasn't that Farragut was 5-0 better than us. In the first match, they were 4-0 better than us; but I think this shows how far we came with a team that in reality dealt with a lot of adversity and didn't give up."
       The two teams fought to a scoreless halftime tie but the Lady Admirals broke through in the 47th minute and after an incredible 40-yard shot that made it 2-0, banged home three goals in a span of two minutes to win.
       Farraguts' Lilly Moore scored the first after a diving block by Oak Ridge keeper Tatiana Tumminello on Joanda Parchman. The powerful shot left a rebound that Moore cleaned up.
       Amy Albaugh then put the match out of reach with a shot just outside of the midfield circle that just missed Tumminello's outstretched hands.
       "I was [busy] and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm short," Tumminello said. "I never let any [goal] of them get me down, and I pulled through it."
       The senior keeper would go on to block 20 of the Lady Admirals (20-0-2) 24 shots.
       The Lady Wildcats had just four shots during the match thanks to the Farragut defense playing extremely well and foiling a few long runouts by Mariealaina ’Mini" Bouchard, Merrit Monger and Peyton McCollum.
       Coach Gorman said he was pleased with his team, especially the seniors, for the work they put in during a tough 16-5 season.
       "They came out and executed and performed great," Gorman said. "It's like we ran out of gas and the pressure got to us.
       "Both our seniors ... Tot has been strong and Allison (Mihalczo) coming back and sacrificing to play defense and midfield, coming back from injury and just a tough season.
       "We couldn't be more proud of them. They helped us get to where we are now and that's a testament to them."

Lady ‘Cats fall in 3AAA finals, Farragut awaits

Oct 25, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Oak Ridge seemed in clear control Friday night getting good shots and just missing. It seemed like it was only a matter of time, after a scoreless first half, before the Lady Wildcats broke through against a Hardin Valley Academy team they beat 4-0 this season.
       But in the span of three minutes, the Lady Hawks put two goals on the scoreboard and flew past Oak Ridge to win their first-ever District 3-AAA girls soccer title 3-0.
       "I think we played great in the first half." ORHS coach Tom Gorman said. "Give Hardin Valley credit for coming out in the second half. They came out aggressive and tried to take the fight to us, putting us on our heels."
       The Lady Wildcats (16-4-1) bombarded the Hardin Valley goalkeeper with 17 shots, six on goal, from all directions. Merritt Monger had a 40-yard free kick from straight on that sailed over the crossbar in the 17th minute. Monger hit the crossbar 11 minutes later on a nice give-and-go from Peyton McCollum -- but still no goal.
       The closest shot came in the 33rd minute when defender Kaci Mitchell dropped in a shot to McCollum near midfield. McCollum broke to the right of the goal, beat two Lady Hawks and smashed a shot to the far side that Hardin Valley's goalie had to make a diving save on.
       But after the scoreless half ended, the intensity picked up. Mitchell was called for a yellow card in the 55th minute setting up a free kick inside the Wildcats penalty box for Hardin Valley. Ellie Myrick put her foot to the ball and drove it into traffic and found the back of the net to make it 1-0 HVA.
       The Wildcats put on more steam from the reset as Monger drove deep into the corner, beating her defender and putting a rocket shot on goal that just missed. The miss seemed to crush spirits and the Lady Hawks capitalized dropping a ball back to Myrick behind the defense for the second Hardin Valley goal in three minutes.
       "Kasey comes off after that foul and you just can't have something like that happen right there around the edge of the box," coach Gorman said. "We do a good job of rebounding and getting the ball to Merritt. We don't finish it, which we usually do, and it's 1-1; but we don't finish, they turn around and counter, and they score again. You are looking at a span of about 20 seconds that could've changed the entire match.
       "They didn't let the first half effect them emotionally and mentally."
       Madison Lovelace added the final goal with 5 minutes left in the game.
       The loss means Oak Ridge will travel to Farragut in a postseason elimination Regional 2-AAA semifinal. The Lady ’Cats lost to the Lady Admirals 4-0 back on Sept. 10. But they knew if they wanted to make it to state, they would have to meet them again.
       "It's high school sports," Gorman said. "On any given night, if you come out and play, maybe they make a mistake or we put it all together. We still haven't put together our best 80 minutes of soccer. If you can put it all together … it is anybody's game."
       "We want to see how far we've come. We will show up and play."
       Kickoff will be Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Lady Wildcats Roll Past Clinton, 6-0

Oct 19, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team put six goals up on the board against Clinton on Monday and 10 names on the All-District 3-AAA team.
       Named to the team were: seniors Allison Mihalczo and Tatiana Tumminello, juniors Mariealaina "Mini" Bouchard, Merritt Monger and Grace Welsh , and sophomores Taylor Hatmaker, Kaci Mitchell, Peyton McCollum, Alexis Gonzalez and Mahala Myers.
      The 10 have been a key part in the team's 15-3 season each in their own way.
      Tumminello had her eighth career shutout against Clinton during senior night Monday as the Lady ’Cats won 6-0 to advance to Tuesday's late game.
       The winner will play Friday at 7 p.m.
       Monger, McCollum, Gonzalez, Bouchard, Myers and Welsh have played in all 18 games this season and lead the team in scoring. Of the 73 goals scored this season, only 14 have not been by the six forwards and midfielders.
       Myers was the big scorer against Clinton coming away with a hat trick, three goals, in the win.
       Myers' three goals came just eight minutes apart in the first half as she nailed a 30-yard cross, a short goal just inside the small box and walked her final one in just in front of the goalie during the 37th minute.
       Leading goal scorer Monger had the first goal of the game. McCollum put a beautiful right cross down in front of Monger to give the junior Austin Peay commitment her 21st goal of the year.
       McCollum and Chloe White got the final two goals of the match.
      Oak Ridge put 38 of its 57 shots on goal in a relentless effort to continue their postseason.  
       The Lady Wildcat defense led by All-District selections Hatmaker, Mitchell and Mihalczo was just as impressive allowing no shots on goal and goalkeeper Tumminello to touch the ball twice the entire match.  
       The three Oak Ridge defensemen all average over 59 minutes per game and have started a combined 44 of the 46 games they've played in.

Pink Ladies finish atop 3-AAA

Oct 12, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcat soccer team last week sewed up first place in District 3-AAA and showed their support for those effected with breast cancer as they defeated Karns 2-0 and traveled to Dobyns-Bennett for a 4-0 win.
       Merritt Monger, an Austin Peay commitment, and Mahala Myers each had a goal a piece to defeat the Lady Beavers and secure their No. 1 seed for the district tournament that starts on Oct. 17.
       "We knew Karns would come out confident and aggressive after beating us last year, so we wanted to respond with the same type of intensity," coach Tom Gorman said. "While the scoreboard didn't show it, our girls had much better play and really controlled the match.
       "I think Mahala played her best match of the year. She may not show up on the stat sheet every match, but she is a dominant player on the wing. Coach (David) Foust and I know that she will always win her battles outside."
       The game was also an emotional one as players paid tribute to those who have dealt or are dealing with breast cancer.
       The players wore pink and a pink Wildcat paw was put on the field.
       Oak Ridge 4, Dobyns-Bennett 0
       The Lady ’Cats traveled to Kingsport on Saturday for their second straight shutout and improved to 14-2 on the season by defeating the Lady Indians.
       Peyton McCollum had a pair of goals while Mariealaina "Mini" Bouchard and Alexis Gonzalez had a goal a piece.
       Bouchard also had two assists.
       "We fought through a very physical match and kept our composure," coach Gorman said. "These are the toughest games to play with it being an off day and long travel, but we showed well and were ready to play."
       Goalkeeper Tatianna Tumminello had five saves in the victory and eight total in the two shutout games during the week.
       The team has nine shutouts on the season.
       The Lady Wildcats faced Bearden late Tuesday and will have their final regular season game at home on Thursday against Seymour at 7 p.m.

Monger, Lady ‘Cats scratch Powell

Oct 04, 2011

       POWELL, Tenn. - The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team is one win away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the District 3-AAA tournament after a decisive 6-1 win last week at Powell.
       Merritt Monger scored four goals while Peyton McCollum and Kee Kee Goins scored one apiece.
       "The nicest thing we saw was the girls showing some creativity in the attack," coach Tom Gorman said. "We did a good job of looking for the best option. We didn't always finish the play, but we built on what we were doing earlier in the week. I think if we weren't dealing with some fatigue, we would have finished many of those build ups and had more goals early."
       Monger leads the team in goals with 19 on the season. McCollum isn't too far behind with 16.
       Grace Welsh and Chloe White had an assist apiece, and coach Gorman was able to get everyone into the game.
       Goalkeeper Tatiana Tumminello had five saves and has allowed just 13 goals in 14 games this year.
       Oak Ridge (12-2) finishes off its district schedule on Thursday at home against Karns at 7 p.m.
       The game will be the team's second Think Pink night. The team is still selling T-shirts to help raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
       "We need to come out focused and ready for Karns on Thursday," Gorman said. "We can wrap up the No. 1 seed going into the post season with a win."
       All proceeds from the night and the shirt sells go to the foundation.
       All the fall sports teams are joining in on the effort and a check presentation will be made during the Oak Ridge-Clinton football game on Oct. 20.

Lady ‘Cats ‘execute’ 4-2 win vs. HVA

Sep 30, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — There is a little more bounce in the Lady Wildcats soccer team's steps. With players getting healthy and more than half the regular season gone, the young squad put together an impressive second-half performance Tuesday night defeating Hardin Valley 4-2.
       "They are the No. 8 or No. 9 team right now," coach Tom Gorman said. "So, without playing our best first half but coming back and playing a really awesome second half, this was a really good win for us."
       After going up 1-0 two minutes into the game on a goal by Mahala Myers, Oak Ridge (11-2) gave up a soft goal to the Lady Hawks Madison Lovelace.
       The goal put Hardin Valley (7-2-1) on the offensive for the rest of the first half before the Lady ’Cats turned it around in the second.
       "We give one back and it's deflating," coach Gorman said. "We did kind of put our head down and packed it in ... in the second half we just told them ’all your intentions are great, all your decision making is fine. It's just the execution. Let's just execute.' You can see the difference. It's like night and day."
       The difference was the M & M duo of Peyton McCullum and Merritt Monger and a third M in Kaci Mitchell. All three girls scored in the second half with beautiful goals.
       McCullum started in the 50th minute rocketing a shot from outside the box just inside the center crossbar to give Oak Ridge a 2-1 lead.
       Seven minutes later Mitchell drove into the HVA side of the field from her defensive spot and put another goal in, in the top left corner from 30 yards out.
       "She made some good runs up," Gorman said of Mitchell. "She had a great finish hitting the crossbar and heading up into the net. You can't ask for something better than that."
       Monger slipped behind the defense and walked one in the small box for the fourth Oak Ridge goal.
       Hardin Valley scored 30 seconds later but managed just seven shots on goal for the game thanks to the ORHS defense.
       "We finally got most of everyone back," Gorman said. "This is as healthy as we have been, and this is the team we thought we would have all along. The last time we played a team this talented was Farragut, and we dropped it 4-0. We are making progress."
       The Lady ’Cats play at Powell tonight at 6.

Oak Ridge girls soccer tops 10 wins

Sep 23, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Some nice passing and a sure foot moved the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team to 10 wins on the season Tuesday as they defeated Central 6-1.
       Peyton McCollum and Merritt Monger each had two goals a piece. McCollum chipped in two of the team's five assists.
       After starting out slow, the team scored three goals in 15 minutes before hitting halftime. Monger found the back of the net first on a McCollum assist. A few minutes later it was McCollum's first score from "Mini" Bouchard. Monger then stretched the lead to 3-0 a little more than midway though the first half.
       The Lady ’Cats (10-2) took the breath out of the Bobcats early in the second half when Grace Welsh found McCollum early to finish off Knoxville Central.
       "Grace played a great ball through their back line to find Peyton three minutes into the half and it was four-nil," coach Tom Gorman said. "We saw Central earlier in the year and won pretty easily in a weather-shortened match. I felt this could be an easy opportunity for our girls to overlook Central and play poorly.
       "I am a little disappointed in losing the shutout because I thought we played well enough to preserve it. But the positives we can take away are six goals with five assists, and we were able to get everyone in the match."
       Chloe White and Kee Kee Goins got late scores. Sarah Nickle had an assist and goalie Tatiana Tumminello had four saves.
       Oak Ridge 2, West 1
       An early corner kick goal from the Lady Rebels had the Lady Wildcats coach Tom Gorman worried, but M & M came through again for Oak Ridge.
       Grace Welsh laid a ball down in front of Peyton McCollum to tie the game midway through the first and Merritt Monger buried a shot left for her by Bouchard with 12 minutes remaining in the match.
       "An early goal like that is always a concern with how we will respond," coach Gorman said. "Many times you put your head down and feel like the whole game is lost. Our girls really responded well to the goal, though."
       "Mini made a great run into their defense and found Merritt alone, and she buried it. West picked up their intensity as the time counted down, but we held on to get the win over a strong region opponent. I'm proud of the girls for responding the way we did after giving up a shaky goal early."
       Oak Ridge now takes some time off to prepare for District 3-AAA foe Hardin Valley on Tuesday. The Lady Hawks and Lady Wildcats will kick off at 7 p.m. from the ORHS soccer field.

Oak Ridge soccer team beats Halls

Sep 15, 2011

       OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Lady SoccerCats got a goal a piece from the big three and Grace Welsh made the most of her first game back in a 4-1 win over Halls on Tuesday.
       Oak Ridge (8-2) started slow in their first match since their loss to Farragut, due in part to the Lady Red Devils' smothering defense, but worked things out at halftime to cruise to the victory.
       "Halls really packed their team back when we won the ball and made it frustrating for us when we moved towards their goal," ORHS coach Tom Gorman said. "I think this is a strategy we will see more this year, because people know how quickly we can get into the attack and score goals.
       "We spoke as a team about moving off the ball and making things more difficult for them to defend and we played much better in the second half."
       Mariealaina "Mini" Bouchard, Peyton McCollum and Merritt Monger all had goals. McCollum's score came from the foot of Mahala Myers on the wing.
       Welsh found the back of the net, too, a short time later.
       Monger finished the night off with a goal in her 50th game with Oak Ridge. She turned to athletic trainer Katherine Emert as a way of honoring her. Emert is leaving Oak Ridge this week to join the Marines.
       "She will be deeply missed by all of the athletes she has worked with this year and last," Gorman said of Emert. "I could not more highly respect her dedication to the kids at ORHS or her decision to protect our country. She will be missed greatly, and I want to thank her for dedication to our players."

Young ‘Cats fall in first Farragut test

Sep 14, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team got its measuring stick this past weekend from Farragut.
       The Lady Admirals shutout the Lady ’Cats 4-0 in the tough rivalry game.
       "We had 10 girls play their first real match against Farragut and it showed," Oak Ridge coach Tom Gorman said. "We played timid and we're trying to avoid mistakes rather than showing confidence and creating our own style of play. It was very frustrating."
       Despite the loss, there were some good signs. Tatiana Tumminello also had seven saves in net for Oak Ridge (7-2).
       Sophomore Taylor Hatmaker also made some good defensive plays.
       "We showed moments that we calmed down and could play with a good Farragut team, but you could tell this was the first time a lot of us played in this rivalry," coach Gorman said. "Taylor played a great match and Tatiana came up with some incredible saves.
       "This was a big test for us to tell where we are right now and see where we want to be. With all of the adversity we have faced and injuries to overcome, this is just another challenge."
       The Lady Soccer ’Cats return to action versus Knoxville West on Thursday after their late game yesterday (Tuesday) against Halls.
       The match against the Lady Rebels starts at 7 p.m. at ORHS.

‘Cats win Katie Hunter Tourney

Sep 07, 2011

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Oak Ridge "M & M" offensive duo are becoming a formidable force just two weeks into the season.
       Merritt Monger had a hat trick -- three goals in one game -- in the Baylor Tournament. This past weekend it was Peyton McCollumn.
       The sophomore forward scored three goals in the first half of the final game of the Katie Hunter Tournament Sunday against Central.
       "Peyton played great this weekend, recording four goals in two and a half games," Lady Wildcats soccer coach Tom Gorman said. "She and Merritt are just so dangerous."
       The game against the Bobcats was cut short because of storms, but it wasn't short on action.
       Lauryn Adkinsson added another goal and Kerrin Boullie, Monger and Emeline Brown each had an assist in the 4-0 win.
       The game also marked the first start in goal for Keekee Goins who had two saves to earn the win and the tournament title.
       "We are relying on different players in every match and everyone is stepping up," Gorman said. "With a team this young, I am just so impressed with how they have come together and really been a team."
       Goins has been a model of the "team-first" mentality as she played forward in the Saturday game, another 4-0 win against Alcoa, earning her first goal and assist.
       "She has sacrificed a lot for us and to see her score her first goal, assist, and shutout of the season shows her importance and versatility," Gorman said of the sophomore Goins.
       Mariealaina "Mini" Bouchard, Alexis Gonzalez and Kristin Jenks got in on the scoring as well against the Lady Tornadoes and their frustrating defense.
       "They really packed in their defense to avoid giving us opportunities to get behind them," Gorman said. "We didn't do a good job of recognizing this quickly, and even after addressing it at half time, we still tried to force things that were not there.“
       The Friday night game proved to be the Lady ’Cats toughest of the young season against St. Benedict.
       McCollum scored on a nifty pass from Gonzalez to put Oak Ridge up 1-0. Monger added on with her goal on an assist from McCollum as she beat the St. Benedict defender and goalie to the ball depositing it into the back of the net.
       St. Benedict added a penalty kick, but Oak Ridge got the win, 2-1.
       Tatiana Tumminello had six saves in the game.
       "We held on to get a quality win over a very good team," Gorman said. "I honestly feel we just wanted it more in the end. We didn't play our prettiest match, but we did enough to get the win."
       The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team is now 7-1 with six shutout victories on the season.
       Players past, present recognized -
       Mariealaina ’Mini' Bouchard was recognized during Saturday's game for playing in her 50th game at Oak Ridge. The junior captain also scored a goal during the contest.
       Hailey Nichols, a senior last year, was recognized Sunday before the Central game. Nichols was named to the All-State team a year ago.

‘Cats don’t disappoint, win 8-0

Sep 04, 2011

CLINTON, Tenn. - Coach Tom Gorman was afraid of a let down on Tuesday night after a long weekend.
       The Lady Wildcats gave their coach an onslaught.
       Six girls scored goals and four more had assists in their 8-0 win over Clinton.
       "We are coming off a tough weekend and I was concerned we haven't overcome the fatigue," coach Gorman said. "It was the perfect game to underperform."
       The girls were asked to continue to grow from the weekend and develop as a team. They responded with some really nice goals early in the match and showing patience in creating other chances on goal.
       The team fed off each other as Peyton McCollum and Merritt Monger again led the charge with two goals apiece. Monger added two assists.
       But they weren't alone as the full team got in on the winning effort. Emeline Brown, Alexis Gonzalez, Mahala Myers and Sarah Nickle all had one goal apiece while Mariealaina "Mini" Bouchard, Kristen Jenks and Chloe White had assists. Kaci Mitchell had two assists.
       "Best part of the night was seeing us move the ball around and look for good opportunities," Gorman said. "The stats will show 10 girls involved in scoring goals, but most of our opportunities grew from us moving the ball around well and picking the best chance. Sometimes, we had six or more girls involved in the buildup."
       The win also marked the third straight shutout by the Oak Ridge (4-1) defense.
       The Lady Wildcats will play host to St. Benedict Friday night and finish with two matches Saturday against Knoxville Central and Alcoa in the Katie Hunter Invitational tournament at Katie Hunter Field.

Monger scores 6 at Baylor tourney

Aug 31, 2011

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - After a weekend filled with soccer, coach Tom Gorman has a pretty good idea of what the Lady Wildcats are capable of this season. And it looks pretty good.
       Oak Ridge (3-1) went 2-1 over the weekend against some of the best in the state thanks to Merritt Monger and her six goals and a tough young defensive back four.
       "I may never have seen a more dominant performance by a player than what Merritt did over the weekend," coach Gorman said. "Six goals in three games is great, but three of those goals were special. She has the potential to be one of the best scorers our program has had."
       Girls Prepatory 2, Oak Ridge 1
       The Lady Wildcats toughest test came Friday night as they fell behind early to Girls Prepatory School. Monger would respond with her first goal from 40 yards away on what Gorman called the first of three "amazing" goals.
       But GPS would again find the back of the net before halftime to change momentum and keep Oak Ridge from scoring in the second half to end the game.
       "We came out in the second half and went after them," Gorman said. "I really felt the tying goal was coming and then the winning goal. I feel like we just ran out of time. I have to give GPS credit with a strong backline and a keeper that made some great saves."
       Oak Ridge goalie Tatiana Tumminello tallied four saves in the effort and the defense would go on to shut out the rest of their opponents the rest of the weekend.
       "Oak Ridge 3, Notre Dame 0
       The Lady ’Cats got up early Saturday and picked up the pace as Monger hit a right cross onto the backpost to get the scoring started. She followed it up with corner that bounced in off a Notre Dame to make it a 2-0 advantage.
       In the second half, Peyton McCollum scored and the defense held.
       "Again, our backline was amazing," Gorman said. "Taylor (Hatmaker), Allison (Mihalczo), Kaci (Mitchell), and Lauryn (Adkinsson) played every minute of each match. These four really held us together all weekend."
       Oak Ridge 3, East Hamilton 0
       Monger saved her best for last earning a hat trick in the final game. Tumminello had two more saves, making eight in the weekend.
       Oak Ridge returns home this weekend for the Katie Hunter Tournament on Friday through Sunday at Katie Hunter Field.

OR soccer scorches Mavs

Aug 25, 2011

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - New season, new start and the same Oak Ridge girls soccer team. The Lady Wildcats poured in three goals in the first 18 minutes of play to start the season with a 10-0 win over Anderson County.
       "When we play to our potential, our three forwards are one of the best groups in the state," coach Tom Gorman said. "We have some very talented midfielders. When they click and play on the same page, we can score on anyone."
       Peyton McCollum had a hat trick to start the season, Grace Welsh had two goals and three assists and five others -- Merritt Monger, Kerrin Boullie, Sarah Nickle, Chloe White and Emeline Brown -- scored goals in the decisive shutout.
       The young team led 5-0 at halftime and was able to get a number of players into the mix at Katie Hunter Field.
       "Anytime we have 10 goals from seven players with seven of the goals assisted shows we are using all our options," Gorman said. "Our quality and speed of play was awesome in the second half. We played as a team and scored more goals, which is the best thing to see as a coach."
       Coach Gorman also praised the new-look defense. "We were tested at times in our defense and we maintained the shutout," he said. "We have some wrinkles to work out, but our back line with Taylor (Hatmaker), Allison (Mihalczo), Kaci (Mitchell), and Lauryn (Adkinsson) are doing great. They have only been working as a unit for a few weeks, so by the end of the season, we will have a group that can lock opponents down."
       The Lady Wildcats (1-0) get their first big test of the season this weekend as they travel to Baylor School to face Girls Prepatory School, Notre Dame and East Hamilton in a Chattanooga tournament.