Lady Colonels fall short in season opener

February 12, 2026

The Cass Lady Colonels battled hard but fell just short in a 2-1 heartbreaker against the East Paulding Lady Raiders on Thursday evening.

The host Lady Raiders struck early to seize control. They converted a penalty kick in the opening minutes, followed by a well-executed corner kick goal, leaving Cass trailing 2-0 at halftime.

But the Lady Colonels showed resilience after the break. Freshman Chloe Hunt ignited the comeback hopes, netting a goal early in the second half to make it 2-1.

From there, Cass found new energy, but failed to score an equalizer. 

The team dominated possession and dictated the tempo for much of the second half, with junior captain Zoe Bailey and senior Amy Villanueva spearheading an attack that challenged East Paulding.

In the midfield, freshman Jillian Silva, junior Ryland Piatt, and senior Gracey Nash were solid, winning balls, forcing turnovers, and maintaining control to fuel the offensive pressure. The back line—anchored by senior captain Hayleigh McGeehan, junior Shania Hernandez, and junior Fatima Lopez—stood firm, while senior goalkeeper Layla Allgood delivered multiple clutch saves to keep her team within striking distance.

East Paulding improved to 1-1 on the young season with the win.

Cass, now 0-1, will look to bounce back when they host Darlington on February 24.

"I'm proud of the fight in our girls," said Cass coach Kyle Calandra. "This is only the beginning for this group."