MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - With such a young team, most of which hadn't experienced a state-tournament atmosphere before, there certainly were going to be nerves affecting the Girls Preparatory School Bruisers in their Division II-AA soccer semifinal against Brentwood Academy on Friday.
The coaching staff encouraged the team, confident a goal was coming as the Bruisers controlled the pace of play. One finally did right before the half, calming a lot of anxiety.
And in the second half, they dominated.
The Bruisers (12-2-2) cruised to their second state-title match in three seasons with a 3-0 victory at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex. They will face Briarcrest, which defeated Father Ryan in the other semifinal, in today's final at 5 p.m. EDT.
Lindsay Rufolo scored the first goal, with under two minutes to go in the first half, off a Keyle Snyder corner kick. Snyder sent a short pass to Akia Harris, who fed the ball back to the senior, who promptly crossed the ball to a crashing Rufolo for the goal.
"It was a great feeling," said Rufolo, a defender. "I think the goal fueled us, and we were able to settle down after that because we knew we had a leg up and they'd have to score twice."
In the second half, the underclassmen showed their capabilities. Sophomore Emily Large scored in the 55th minute; then eighth-grader Mya McGee netted a shot for some added insurance.
The Bruisers defense limited any dangerous opportunities, and Savannah Williams made five saves.
"I thought we played well," GPS coach Patrick Winecoff said. "Everybody was aware of the weather conditions coming in, but the girls were very focused and mentally strong. We had no miscommunications in the back and had an overall good match."
The state final will be a rematch of an Aug. 23 meeting during the Baylor tournament, won by the Lady Saints 3-1.
"We're excited for this opportunity. We're looking for redemption," Rufolo said. "There are going to be some nerves, but nerves are good because it means that you care."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.
Division II-AA State Semifinal
GPS 3, BRENTWOOD ACADEMY 0
Halftime: 1-0. Goals: Lindsay Rufolo, Emily Large, Mya McGee. Assist: Keyle Snyder. Shots: GPS, 6-5. Saves: Savannah Williams 5 (GPS); Meredith Priest 3 (BA). Records: GPS 12-2-2; Brentwood Academy 13-4.