The Lady Irish capture the first state crown for a girls team in Knoxville Catholic history
WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP HARDWARE The Lady Irish soccer team gathers around the first-place trophy after defeating Christian Academy of Knoxville for the state title. Courtesy of Knoxville Catholic High School
Knoxville Catholic High School’s girls soccer team made history Nov. 2, and in doing so made an impact on a statewide level.
The Lady Irish won the TSSAA girls soccer state championship in Murfreesboro, defeating neighboring rival Christian Academy of Knoxville 3-1 in the Class A-AA title match at Richard Siegel Park.
It was the first state championship for any girls team in KCHS history.
Under the direction of head coach Mark Leader, the Lady Irish have been knocking on the door of a state title. But the team finally burst through with the help of a senior and a freshman.
Senior Molly Dwyer scored all three goals in the victory and freshman Katie Whitaker, who was thrust into the match with 78 minutes to play, recorded six saves. Katie was called on when the starting goalkeeper was forced to leave the match after being issued a red card for running into a CAK player.
Katie, who started the season at goalkeeper before being sidelined by a wrist injury, was caught off guard when summoned to play in the championship match, but she fiercely defended the Lady Irish’s net en route to the title.
It was Catholic’s fourth meeting with CAK, and the Lady Irish won all four matches. The Lady Irish finished the season with a 21-3-4 record.
Molly, the leading scorer for the Lady Irish this season, will continue her soccer career at Furman University, where she has committed to play.
The 2013 Lady Irish soccer team featured seniors Molly Dwyer, Charlotte Sauter, Lucy Hanson, Abby Leake, Brenna Zimmerman, Katie Covino, and Rebecca Mathien; juniors Colleen Baker, Ashley Hickman, Tyler Beard, Gabby Prevost, and Abby Bower; sophomores Paige Merry, Camille Mancini, Renee Semaan, Alyston Dorsten, and Isabelle Pinzon; and freshmen Katie Whitaker and Anya Wegryn. The assistant coaches are Vahan Janoyan and Martha Hall.
