Lady Cavs wrap up preseason, look ahead to district play

Brayden Gallagher, Sports Editor

The CHS girls' soccer team is moving into the regular season following a successful pre-season campaign.

They defeated local rivals Warren County and Stone Memorial in friendlies and ended their summer with “Friday Night Lights,” their annual alumni game. Despite their scrimmage against Cumberland County being canceled due to inclement weather, the Lady Cavs are prepared for the upcoming season.

“I feel like we’re getting there,” said senior Laylah Turner. “We started out kind of rough but we are definitely getting better, especially up top.”

The team will look to improve upon last season’s district mark of 5-4-2 and an overall record of 7-9-2. Despite an early exit in last year's district tournament, the Lady Cavs hope to make a deep postseason run this year, especially now that perennial powerhouse Mount Juliet High School is no longer on the schedule due to TSSAA redistricting.

“I have really high hopes that we're going to battle every single game and come out on top,” said head coach Lauren Metts.

CHS will be expecting contributions from every level this year, as they will rely on a mix of experienced veterans and young, fresh talent.

“We have a lot of new freshmen and we’re working on learning how they play and helping them learn how we play,” said senior keeper Ava Luna.

The Cavalier defense is especially strong with Turner leading the back line and Luna between the sticks. Moving forward, the center of the park is controlled by several quality midfielders.

“We’ve got senior Emma Horner as our holding mid, and she so far has done really well. Another senior Grace [Schmidt] is attacking center mid, and those two together are so experienced,” said Metts.

“Up top, we're really relying on some new girls to give us fresh ideas and fresh energy,” said Metts. So far this season, the attack has been headlined by freshman standout Carmen Sandoval, who managed to find the back of the net in each of their preseason games.

While their district is tough, the Lady Cavs have positioned themselves to be contenders. If you haven’t had a chance to support your CHS soccer team yet this season, you still have plenty of opportunities. They have four remaining home games throughout September and could potentially host playoff games once the post-season rolls around at the beginning of October.