1991/09/01 in Ohio vs Ohio Finwick
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Top Left: Michelle Heinz in goal
Top Right:
Bottom Left: Sara Collier heads the ball
Bottom Mid: Sara Chapman stops an attack
Bottom Right: Jenger Burchett goes to goal
Defense Posts 21 Consecutive Shutouts
The '91 defensive players consist of:
(Back row): Sara Collier and Blakely Johnson (not pictured: Goalie Michelle Heinz)
(front row): Brittney Ezell, Sara Chapman, Jennifer Burchett, Amanda Helton
Relieving the Pressure
by A. Gambill
State. State was the first thing that came to a person's mind when someone said Lady Rebel Soccer. From the very first scrimmage against BGA, to the last game of the state finals, -- Win State.
So what did it take to win State? Dria Arenth said, "it takes hard work, determination, responsibility on the player's part, and skill." These skills were seen in their practices, before game gatherings, and during the game. Only the best effort was put forth and it paid off this year.
This team had a hard season ahead of them. At lest once, sometimes twice a week, the girls were off to yet another victorious game. Unfortunately, victory was not present at the game against the team from Finwick, Ohio. All was not lost though. The next few games against Page, Gallatin, and Dickson County proved better. The winning streak was back until Father Ryan came out with a vengeance against the team that no one knew about. Although they did not lose, they did not win either, thanks to the stable defense of the team. Still, the will to win was not dead yet.
As the season progressed, the state finals got closer and closer. The Regional Tournament was on top of the Rebs before they knew it. They showed they were ready for a fight with a 23-0 win over Dickson County. From there, the Lady Rebs advanced into the semi-final round and won against Brentwood. Once again, the defense kept their opponent scoreless with a 6-0 victory.
The final round of the Regional Tournament saw a hard fought win over BGA, and an advancement to Sub-State to play Father Ryan. The Lady Rebs got revenge with a 2-0 victory.
Notre Dame and Knoxville Farragut did not stand a chance in the final rounds of State. The Lady Rebs knocked Notre Dame out of the running and with a score of 3-0, kept the state title from Farragut.
With yet another state title under their belt, the intense pressure was finally off. How did players feel about the pressure? Kelly Skelton and Brittney Ezell both agreed. "We think it's both positive and negative. Positive because knowing everyone out there, including the media, is out to get us, makes us work harder. Then again, it's negative because it causes a lot of strain having to perform top notch everyday." Kristen Hood felt the same way. "Yeah, there's a lot of pressure. It always seemed like people were putting us down. We had to overocme them to prove that we were the best."
The Lady Rebs proved that they could handle the pressure and claim another state title. Finishing the season ranked 8th in the nation was no small feat.
A good powerful kick to gain a goal is important to the Lady Rebs soccer team. At the state finals, Dria Arenth went head to head with Knoxville Farragut's goalie when she went to score one of three points to win the State Tournament.
1991/12/23 Sports Illustrated
Faces in the Crowd
FRANKLIN, TENN.
Dria Arenth
Dria, a senior soccer forward at Franklin High, scored a goal against Knoxville Farragut High to lead the Lady Rebels to a 3-0 win and their third straight state girls' title. She had 82 goals and 18 assists in three seasons.
1991/01/14 Sports Illustrated
Faces in the Crowd
Michelle Heinz
Michelle, a senior soccer goalie at Franklin High, allowed only 14 goals in 54 games as a starter during her four years on the varsity. She had 41 shutouts as she led the Lady Rebels to a record of 68-2-2 and three girls' state championships.