GAME RECAP: Alcoa 0-5 Maryville

In the Onrise Care High School Game of the Week, the Lady Rebels down their Blount County rivals with four goals from standout Kayla Barr.

Rivalry week came early this year for Maryville (2-1) and Alcoa (1-0-1) in their match Tuesday, Aug. 23. Coach Steve Feather and the Maryville Lady Rebels traveled to claim a 5-0 victory and continue a more than 15-year winning streak over the Coach Andy Byrd’s Tornadoes.

Nestled below the looming Smoky Mountains, the field by Alcoa Elementary School offered the perfect opportunity for Maryville’s senior forward Kayla Barr, a commit to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, to demonstrate her skills as she scored four of her team’s goals.

Despite the lopsided score, Maryville hardly dominated the competition, especially in the first half. The Lady Rebels did well to keep the ball mostly on Alcoa’s side for the first 20 minutes, after which both teams fought ferociously back and forth in the middle third of the pitch, with neither succeeding often in approaching the goal.

Barr consistently worked around her defenders with little opposition. Despite her ease traveling into the box, few of her runs resulted in clear shots. Often, Barr relented her attack, seeking support from a teammate, and eventually allowing a deep kick from the Tornadoes’ defense to start the process again.

Eventually, the 2021 Class A All-State Team selection hit her stride, Alcoa defender Peyton Potts squashed Barr’s frequent dribbles into the penalty box. Play shifted to Maryville’s right, and the game changed from a track meet along one edge of the pitch to a slugfest along the other.

Contact between Potts and Barr 22 minutes in resulted in a free kick taken by Maryville’s junior forward Taylor Hoag. In the ensuing battle in the goal box, she fell backwards over goalkeeper Ella Murr’s attempt to recover the ball. Hoag left to be treated then returned with a prominent limp 10 minutes later.

Finally, in the 35th minute, Barr headed the ball in from a Maryville corner. Coach Feather emphasized the moment in his halftime talk and sent his team out with an intense confidence for the second half.

For their part, Maryville wasted no time forcing Alcoa onto the back foot. Five minutes into the second half, Barr scored her second goal, this time from the penalty spot. Three minutes later, a miscommunication between two Alcoa defenders allowed Barr to slip past and knock another ball through, netting a hat trick, and her first from open play.

Feather was not content to simply enjoy his team’s success. He turned every action on the field into a lesson for the players on his bench, regularly walking from the sideline to his players and asking them what should have been done differently for a more successful attack.

Another free kick halfway through the second half allowed Barr to extend her scoring total one further. She arced a soaring shot over and around a four-player wall to the top left corner of the goal, where it just grazed Murr’s fingertips.

Tensions grew high in this late stage of the match. Anna Kate Baumann drew a free kick for the Tornadoes that caused commotion along the sidelines. She earned a yellow card two minutes later. Maryville’s junior outside back Hayes McCallum batted around the Alcoa defense for a goal of her own, but most of the remaining minutes resembled the first half’s slugfest.

The season is still long, and both teams have plenty of matches to look forward to from here. That being said, any loss in a rivalry game is tough to stomach. Perhaps it is better to face the challenge early and look at the remaining season as a clean slate.

Alcoa now looks to bounce back in Class A District 2 play with a game at Pigeon Forge on Thurs., Aug. 25. Meanwhile, Maryville will travel to Chattanooga this weekend to face Baylor and Girls Prep at this year’s Girls Prep Invitational on Friday, Aug. 26, and Saturday, Aug. 27.

The High School Game of the Week is brought to you by Onrise Care:

Onrise Care takes a team-based approach to delivering high-quality, compassionate mental health and athlete player care. Learn more at onrisecare.com or call 865-288-8970 to learn about their tele-psychiatry and other services."

Maryville’s Coach Steve Feather:

On the approach coming into the game:

“Our mindset was that we wanted to impose our own will on Alcoa. We knew that it was a tight field, and we wanted to make things difficult on them. We talk about four stages of defense—deny buildup, deny space, deny penetration, and deny goals. We thought the most important thing tonight would be deny buildup and deny space, so we really stretched our shape up the field and make it hard for them to get it on our side.”

On Barr’s success and cooperation:

“I liked that she was difficult to read tonight. We obviously want her to play 1-v-1 because she’s got that speed and skill. I also think she did a good job letting the game come to her. She was playing through Taylor Hoag and Clara Paulino and going at people 1-v-1. But also playing that inside out approach to where they could get behind that back line, that was advantageous.”

Maryville’s senior forward Kayla Barr

On tactical changes entering the second half:

“I think as I kept taking the ball down, they started sinking into their shape and I recognized that. They sank more in the second half, which I was able to get a better look off. Luckily, we got one before half time, which really helped get our momentum up.”