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The Grainger Lady Grizzlies hit the pitch on Thursday night fresh off a 8-0 loss at the hands of Morristown East; facing a team that defeated East 7-0 a season ago in Morristown West.

The Lady Grizzlies picked up the 1-0 win, improving to 2-1 on the year.

Grainger dominated possession for a majority of the first half, producing six shots on target to West’s zero, culminating in freshman Sadie Cooper’s goal in the 38th minute from a free kick.

The Lady Trojans emerged from halftime with an elevated sense of urgency, but were unable to break through.

The Lady Grizzlies were the aggressors from kickoff, getting a shot on frame in just the first minute of play.

They would have had two more chances in the following few minutes if it wasn’t for the impassioned play of West defender Banesa Hernandez. Hernandez has proven to be a defensive stalwart for the Lady Trojans backline.

Cooper nearly scored another goal in the 13th minute off a broken corner, but wasn’t able to break through.

West forward Allie Swann had a couple of chances in the box, but the Grainger defenders stepped up.

In the 37th minute, Cooper was fouled on a shot just outside the box, earning a free kick. She struck the free kick into the top right corner of the net to give the Lady Grizzlies the 1-0 lead at half.

West head coach Emily Bryant demonstrated her displeasure with her team’s performance in the first half, with the emphasis of her halftime message being “We>Me”, a mantra for the Lady Trojans.

In the second half, West embodied that adage much better than in the first.

Isamenia Munoz, who didn’t play in the first half, was a spark plug in the midfield, and helped keep the ball near the West attacking third for a majority of half number two.

Natalie Nelson, who has played outside back for the Lady Trojans for a majority of the season, created many chances when she was slotted at forward, but wasn’t able to convert.

Anayshka Pabon played hard on the wing, all 80 minutes for West, helping produce a near-goal in the 74th minute that was called back for a hand-ball.

That would be the last opportunity for the Lady Trojans to level the score, and unable to convert, the game ended 1-0.

For Grainger, it was an incredible turnaround from their loss to East last Tuesday; one that will give them momentum heading into their matchup with Claiborne next Thursday.

For West, it was a disappointing loss. The message after the game was that they have to view the loss as a “turning point” for their season if they hope to have the kind of success they’re striving for this season.

West travels to Austin-East next Tuesday.