BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – The Cascade Lady Champions (15-2-1, 8-0-0) won a third game in six days to punch their ticket to the TSSAA Class A Girls Soccer State Championship with a 5-0 win over the Huntington Lady Mustangs (7-8-1, 0-2-0) in the state-sectional round on Saturday afternoon.

“Going back for a third time, it means we’re not naive to what we are going to see [at State], but we are going to work to be prepared and be ready for it,” Cascade’s Head Coach Wendy Williams remarked postgame.

The Lady Champs’ sensational sophomore superstar in Lexi Comstock once again shined on the biggest stage of the 2025 season so far, scoring the first three goals of the game and bringing her record-breaking tally on the season to 32 goals in 17 games played (one of Cascade’s wins came via forfeit). Olivia Winnett, who is second on the team in goals scored, finished with a second-half brace to put the finishing touches on the dominant performance.

In the first half, it took Cascade some time to generate clear chances on goal following the physical win in Chapel Hill just two days prior. 

After a few opportunities were dragged just wide of the post, Comstock opened the scoring in the 23rd minute on an assist from Ella McGeary. McGeary played  the ball back in to Comstock, who fired a shot with her right foot hard and low into the right corner to give Cascade a 1-0 lead.

Then, with just 12 seconds remaining in the first half, Comstock used her weaker left foot to double Cascade’s lead in a massive momentum swing. 

“That goal definitely built our momentum going into halftime,” Williams said, “At 1-0, we’re always trying to push for a little bit more of a cushion, and they just came out in the second half and dominated.”

Mere minutes into the second half, Comstock completed her hat trick with a beautiful curling effort to convert a one-on-one opportunity in the Huntington box to put the Lady Champs ahead by a score of 3-0. Winnett was credited with the assist, her fifth of the year.

Olivia Winnett (15) secured a second-half brace to go along with an assist in the business-like win over Huntington on Saturday.

David Smith

For the next 25 minutes, Cascade controlled the game, even generating a couple more decent scoring chances despite not finding the fourth goal. That is, until the 70th minute, when Winnett’s left foot found the back of the net to give the hosts a 4-0 lead with 10 minutes to go. Winnett would add a beautiful half-volleyed goal to the scoreboard in the 79th minute for her 18th goal of the campaign, stamping Cascade’s third-consecutive trip to the state tournament. 

“By this point in the year, everybody is struggling with nagging knocks, so we have to make sure we are careful with that,” said Williams. “However, we understand what we are walking into, and so I think that will help with our preparation and the mentality we go into Tuesday with.”

After breaking through to qualify for the state tournament in 2023 for the first time in program history with a 17-3-0 record, Williams has guided the Lady Champions to a 13-4-1 season in 2024 before this year’s 15-2-1 campaign. In the most successful stretch of soccer in Cascade’s history, boys or girls, Williams has compiled a combined record of 45-9-2 during this three-year span, and she hopes that win number 46 marks what would be yet another milestone for the school – Cascade Soccer’s first win at state.

  Cascade is scheduled to take on District 6A and Region 3A Champions Merrol Hyde (14-3-1) at 1:30 E.T. on Tuesday in the Class A State Quarterfinal round at Chattanooga Christian School.