Oakland edges East Hamilton, 1-0

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Throughout its 11-match win streak on the way to District 5 and Region 3-AAA championships, the East Hamilton girls' soccer team had found ways to win by the slimmest of margins.

Saturday afternoon, the Lady Hurricanes lost in the same fashion.

Oakland's Jenna Clothier scored off a free kick in the 45th minute, and the Lady Patriots (13-4-2) earned a spot in the Class AAA state tournament in their hometown, Murfreesboro, with a 1-0 victory over the Lady Hurricanes.

Clothier lofted the shot high, and it dropped right over the outstretched hands of freshman keeper Abbey Saddler.

"There's a lot of pressure in free kicks. You either get it or you don't," sophomore Clothier said. "I'm real excited for the team, and real excited about getting to experience state."

The Lady Hurricanes (14-4-2) gave a valiant effort. District 5-AAA offensive player of the year Nicole Ford, who injured her shoulder in the district final against McMinn County, played sparingly Saturday despite obvious pain. It was the standard for a team that had battled injuries all season long.

The teams combined for only seven shots on goal, five by Oakland. Saddler made four saves, while Megan Walker added a nonkeeper save in the first half.

The Lady Hurricanes lose three seniors -- Peyton Rauth, Emiley Saddler and Alyssa Newton. They have eight freshmen and five sophomores on the roster.

"I told the girls to be proud of what they accomplished this season," East Hamilton coach Carrie Hill said. "The seniors were steady leaders that set the standard high, so that the younger players understood what to expect.

"We played hard today. We just came up one incredible free kick short, but that's the nature of the game, so we have to take pride in what we did."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

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