Cherokee County women’s soccer teams are off to a great start in the 2024 season. Murphy started its season with seven straight wins, while Tri-County Early College has won their first games since the program returned to the field.
With the final stretch of the season kicking off this week, the Lady Bulldogs are fighting for the top spot in the Smoky Mountain Conference with a 9-3 overall record, 6-2 in the conference. At press time, they are 1½ games behind the conference leading Swain County.
After starting the season 7-0, Murphy hit a rough patch just before spring break where they lost three straight to Swain, Highlands and Franklin. The Lady Bulldogs’ biggest conference win came against Hayesville on March 18, where they won 9-0.
Their biggest loss was against Highlands 4-1. They will look to avenge that loss in a rematch to close out the regular season Monday, May 6.
Coming out of spring break, Murphy has big matchups against Swain and Highlands as the last two games, where they will look to not only win the conference but make the state 1A playoffs. For the remainder of the regular season, the Lady Dogs will play each conference opponent one more time.
Lailee Holloway leads the team in goals with 17, and also has three assists and 33 steals. Haile Hill leads the team in assists with seven, and also has five goals and 71 steals.
Isabel Parker leads the team in steals with 99, while Tyra Nelson has 74. Murphy has a goal differential of +31, best in the conference.
Lady Bulldogs head coach Kim Brownlee said the team has played well and are working hard.
“I feel the team has performed pretty good. We started off the season strong, but have had a difficult time scoring against strong opponents. The girls work hard every day. They work on their touches, especially passing,” she said.
“We have room to grow for sure. We need to improve our shooting, and controlling the possession and making good decisions in the final third.”
Brownlee named Nelson, Hill, Holloway and Parker as players who have stood out.
“Trya Nelson is a huge reason our defense is so strong. She is an outstanding center back and only a freshman. She continues to read the game better and better, and anchors that back line. She has completely impressed me and she has gained the confidence of her teammates,” the coach said.
“The other freshman, Haile Hill, is a tremendous player. She has been given the responsibility of controlling the attack in the middle as a center midfielder. Hard job especially because it requires so much physicality. She is definitely up to the challenge. When she becomes an aggressive attacking player herself, with that eye of the tiger mentality to score, we will see more scoring success in tougher games.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Lailee [Holloway]. She keeps everyone calm. Her presence alone brings stability. She can score on any given night, and I believe she will show all SMC why she was Player of the Year and All-State in 2023.
“Lastly is Isabel Parker. She completely dominates the defensive midline. She plays hurt everyday. She continues to battle injury to her knee, but it doesn’t stop her. She leads the team in steals and continues to improve her passing skills. I rely on her possibly more than any other player. She is just solid for us.”
This season has already been monumental for Tri-County. Since the Jaguars’ program returned, they won their first games after two straight winless seasons. Their two wins have come against Blue Ridge 2-0 in the first game of the season on March 7, then against Hayesville 2-1 on March 14.
On March 25, they lost 5-0 to Highlands, the second-place team in the conference. Despite the loss, holding them to five goals is impressive because only Blue Ridge and Murphy where able to hold them to one less.
After they return from spring break, they will play each conference opponent one more time. They will conclude their regular season by hosting Cherokee on Monday, May 6. Tri-County has a 3-9 overall and conference record, since they have only played SMC opponents, sitting in fifth place heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
Head coach Chris Blanton said his young team is constantly improving.
“Our team is making great strides. We have a very young team, with most starters being freshman. The women’s team really listen to coaching, and work really hard to improve their game,” he said.
Blanton listed some of the players that have stood out to him so far this season.
“Hayden Cunningham, a freshman center back, has done an outstanding job, including scoring a goal on a penalty kick for us. She really helps us flip the field. Jasmine Tran has stood out as a leader and is our leading scorer and is always willing to play everywhere she is needed,” he said.
“Anna-Claire LaChance has stood out as a high energy and maximum effort center back saving the day for us multiple times. Iris Diaz-Menchu has stood out as a captain, a leader and great passer. And Emma Smith has been a great captain and leader, as well as a solid goaltender.”