Hendersonville Standard
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Lady Haws set to play for Class A state supremacy




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MURFREESBORO – Merrol Hyde will try and win their school its first state championship Monday morning when they take on Signal Mountain for Class A soccer supremacy. 

The Lady Hawks advanced to the championship game following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Adamsville (14-2-2) in the semifinal round. 

The championship match will be a rematch of the 2018 state title game; a match Merrol Hyde lost 1-0.

Storylines are similar to this Lady Hawk team compared to the 2018 version, one being the Lady Hawk defense not surrendering a goal to Class A competition coming into the state tournament. 

The difference? In 2018, Merrol Hyde gave up their only goal to Class A competition in the championship match, while this season, Merrol Hyde’s lone goal so far came in a 5-1 round one victory over Cumberland Gap.

Does that mean Merrol Hyde is posed for a clean sheet Monday morning? Possibly. 

Earning a clean sheet against a team like Signal Mountain will not be easy. The Lady Eagles, through two games, have scored eight goals, registered 63 shots with 43 shots on goal.

Striker Camilia Mincy leads the team with four goals in this state tournament, including a hat trick in round one against McKenzie. Four other girls have scored goals for Signal Mountain. 

That said, the Lady Hawks also boast a flurry of goal scorers. Through two games at state, Merrol Hyde has registered 51 total shots with Zettergren’s four goals leading the pack. Abigail Oaks and Tessa Bentley have also got in on the scoring action, while others are patiently waiting to put their opportunity to strike.  

“I think this team is a little more talented and has a little more depth than we’ve had the past few years,” Merrol Hyde head coach Jason Bentley said of the two Lady Hawk teams. 

Experience is something to fall back on for Merrol Hyde as Bentley says each time you come to Murfreesboro, you leave with a little more knowledge than what you had coming in.

“Whether that is how you manage game day, playing two games in two days and three games in four days to how you manage your time on the field, you learn a little more each year and that helps.” 

Experience or no experience, Merrol Hyde will have to play their best game of the season Monday morning if they want to bring home the gold trophy. 

A tightly contested first round match with Cumberland Gap didn’t turn the tide until the second half, and against Adamsville, mental toughness was the name of the game as several adverse situations reared its head. 

Those situations will benefit the Lady Hawks in the championship. 

“Adamsville was an odd game,” Bentley said. “There was a lot of adversity to work through, and I think that demands a certain level of mental toughness and I think that is where we will benefit the most (on Monday).”

Signal Mountain also has experience. 2020 marks the fourth year in-a-row Signal Mountain has played for the state title, winning back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. 

Expecting a physical matchup on Monday, Bentley adds the physicality his team faced in round two will help. 

“They (Signal Mountain) have been here, and they know what it takes to win,” Bentley said. “I think us being in the situation we were in against Adamsville against a big, physical team will help us. That said, this game will not be easy; every team deserves to be here. We have to be ready.”

Merrol Hyde and Signal Mountain will battle at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex at 11 a.m. 

 

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