ENGLEWOOD, Tenn. -- After scoring twice in the first half Tuesday, Nicole Watson wanted a third goal really badly. She wanted it too much perhaps, because she missed a pair of close attempts.
The good thing was that her McMinn Central team didn't need them.
Jessi Young also had two goals as the Chargerettes cruised to a 5-0 victory over Hixson in the Region 3-A/AA semifinals. McMinn Central (11-7-3) will host Grace Academy in the region championship match Thursday.
The Chargerettes defeated Grace 2-1 in the District 5 final last week.
"I like playing at home," Watson said. "We get to wear our jerseys and play in front of our fans. I hope we play like we did last Thursday."
Her goals came in the 22nd and 39th minutes, and Young dribbled through the Hixson defense and scored in the 28th. She added her second goal on an assist by Ashly Scapellato midway through the second half -- five minutes after Kayli Hembree's goal made it 4-0.
"I'm happy with the win, but I'm not happy with what we're doing," McMinn Central coach Bill McConkey said. "We're losing the ball too much, but as long as we have Jessi up top and good solid play in the midfield, I feel we can play with anybody."
Hixson (11-6-2) couldn't get anything going offensively, with the Chargerettes double-marking forward Samantha Green and preventing all the Lady Wildcats from any dangerous opportunities on goal.
"We were just outplayed and outhustled," Hixson coach Jeff Dean said. "McMinn Central just outplayed us both defensively and offensively, but I'm happy with the girls. I thought we had a good year."
n Grace Academy 3, East Ridge 0: At Camp Jordan, Emily Clark had a goal and an assist for the Lady Golden Eagles (17-2-1). Holly Badger and Rachel Carter also scored, while Ebony Ransby had an assist.
East Ridge ended its season at 8-7 with its first-ever district championship.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.