BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – After suffering their first defeat of the 2025 campaign last Thursday against Coffee County, the Cascade Lady Champions (8-1-1, 5-0-0) responded with a gritty 3-1 win against the visiting Community Viqueens (4-0-4, 3-0-3) on Tuesday night in the “Battle of Bedford”. 

“We expected it to be tougher than the first time,” Lady Champs Head Coach Wendy Williams said postgame, “[Coach Alysse & Jesse Cooper] are really good at what they do, and their girls were prepared for us. We never come into a game against Community and think it’s going to be easy.”

The first meeting between these two teams back on September 4th saw Cascade race out to a relatively simple and easy 5-0 win in Unionville. On Tuesday, despite going up 3-0 early in the second half, it was anything but easy. 

Lexi Comstock, who many would claim is currently in the lead in the District 9-A MVP race, nabbed yet another brace, and she opened the scoring in just the third minute of the match. After Kaylee Martin played a ball back across the box from the left wing during a counter-attack, the initial shot from Alayna Ormiston deflected off the crossbar and right into the path of the onrushing Comstock. Comstock was able to get the first touch ahead of Viqueens’ goalkeeper, Alana Tate, and poke home the opening goal to give Cascade a 1-0 almost immediately. 

However, the Viqueens weren’t rattled. After the opening goal, Community began to disrupt some of the Lady Champs’ rhythm in attack, shifting to a five-at-the-back system when out of possession. Cascade struggled to adjust at first, but then in the 33rd minute, Comstock struck yet again. After she won a corner, Ella McGeary whipped in an outswinging ball that Comstock attacked ferociously, and despite missing with her head, she didn’t miss with her right shoulder as she redirected her team-leading 15th goal of the season past Tate and into the back of the net to double Cascade’s lead to 2-0 going into halftime.

Brinlee Collet (19) scored her 7th goal of the season in the 45th minute of Tuesday's win over the Viqueens.

David Smith

Coming out of the break in the 45th minute, Brinlee Collet found herself through on goal after a deflected through ball fell right into her path. Collet calmly passed home her seventh goal on the year to give the Lady Champions a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Instead, Community responded just three minutes later via a set piece. In the 48th minute, the Viqueens won a free kick within striking distance, and Sarah Flanagan’s delivery fell perfectly into the path of Taylor Finch, who managed to redirect the ball on target and into the back of the net to give the Viqueens a lifeline and trim the lead to 3-1 with more than a half-hour left to play.

Taylor Finch (12) scored the Viqueens only goal of the night against Cascade.

David Smith

Six minutes later, the Viqueens very nearly grabbed a second when another dangerous free kick whizzed just past the post.

Cascade’s McGeary was booked for a late challenge in the 55th minute, but then Cascade nearly took back its three-goal advantage in the 58th minute when Comstock’s glancing header in the box was spectacularly saved by Tate. 

Kenzie Bledsoe was booked in the 66th minute for a late tackle, and then two minutes later Comstock was shown a yellow for standing in front of a Viqueens attempted quick free kick. 

Tate capped off a strong showing in goal for the Viqueens in the 73rd minute with an incredible double save against Kaylee Martin. Martin initially won a penalty after her cross struck a Viqueen hand in the box, but Tate produced a wonderful initial save diving to her left before regaining her footing to keep Martin’s follow-up out of the net as well. Despite the brilliant effort, Community was unable to find a second goal, and the Lady Champions remained unbeaten in district play.

“We had a lot of opportunities tonight,” said Williams, “We have so many girls that are capable of scoring. Of course Lexi [Comstock] just finds a way to finish every time, and Brinlee [Collet] has been a real asset for us this year up top. I think we’re still working on those combinations between the runs and the passes [in attack], but I feel like they find a way to make it happen every time.”

Cascade hosts Fayetteville City on Thursday night while the Viqueens return home on Thursday for an important rematch with Chapel Hill.