Baylor scores dominant soccer win at GPS to close regular season
With GPS sophomore Kallie West closing in, Baylor goalkeeper Sara Hill never flinched.
The Kennesaw State-committed senior shut down the Bruisers' counterattack in a one-on-one matchup in the opening 10 minutes of play perfectly Wednesday night, with Hill making a brilliant stop with her left foot for the first of her four saves in Baylor's 3-0 win in a soccer matchup of Chattanooga rivals.
It wrapped up a 13-3-2 regular season in which defense paved the way to success for the Lady Red Raiders, who went 3-1 in TSSAA Division II-AA East to secure the region's No. 2 seed behind Knoxville Webb.
"The first 10 minutes of a game are always the hardest," Hill said. "Having a save like that one means a lot and gave us a little bit of energy. To contribute in that way to my last Baylor-GPS game and beat them for the first time here in my career is really sweet."
Reigning state champion Baylor led 1-0 at halftime thanks to a perfectly executed penalty kick in the 31st minute by junior Zoe Misenhimer, who has been her team's go-to striker on set pieces for two seasons in a row while also offering lockdown play on the back line.
GPS (8-4-3, 0-2-2), just two years removed from winning state, created pressure in the first half with several strong counters, but the Bruisers could not find much of anything after the break as the Lady Red Raiders' deep and talented junior class took over.
Standout forward Elizabeth Silva provided the backbreaking goal, chasing down the ball at the top of the box and — despite a tough angle — turning and sending her shot into the upper right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead in the 49th minute. Lilly Catalanotto set up the third goal in the 60th, connecting with Ryleigh Ramey for a header deep in the box.
Catalanotto was also stellar on defense, along with sophomore Brylee Faulkner and the steady Hill, who has allowed more than one goal in a game just once this season, Baylor's 5-3 win over Briarcrest Christian.
"Sara's save early was absolutely huge for us," Baylor coach Curtis Blair said. "That is why she is going Division I. That picked us up. She is a big-time goalkeeper. Defensively, we have just been so good this year. We could have been better on some of their counters tonight, but in the second half we cleaned everything up and shut everything down."
Now the Lady Red Raiders believe the postseason ahead could be another promising one as they seek to repeat with the program's 11th state title overall.
"We are so good with the ball in front of us and stopping it," Hill said. "We are capable of making a run in the state tournament again. We all believe and trust each other."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
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