Laughter rippled across Finley Stadium in the early morning hours before the Chattanooga Mocs practice on Wednesday as seniors Masey Fox and Molli Miller relived nearly 14 years of memories.
 
"Every transition in soccer, we had maybe four or five girls from our Blount United come with us," Molli said. "But we were the only two who stuck it out together. Same here. We had eight commit [to UTC] and we're the only two left."
 
It didn't start out that Molli and Masey would be two of the eight newcomers who would greet Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney in his first season. The pair had committed to two other schools.
 
However, they were not happy with the recruiting process and their choices. When offered a place at UTC, they each accepted, but didn't share the news with each other.
 
"We see each other every single day," Molli said. "We ride to practice together every single day. We didn't tell each other we were decommitting from the schools. We kept it personal."
 
"It felt like a secret," Masey agreed.
 
It was their FC Alliance coach Kevin Keck who broke the news. He told them that they were both going to play together at Chattanooga.
 
"It was completely coincidental that we ended up together," Molli related. "We didn't plan it or anything, but it worked out."
 
At UTC the pair is part of the building process McKinney put in place when he arrived four years ago.
 
"They took a chance on coming here," he said. "Attempting to be couple of the first recruits that I brought in to try and change it. They've definitely achieved that. Look where we are now four years later. They've both been a big part of that on and off the field."
 
The pair joined Blount United Lady Hammers at the age of seven and after a few years became close friends.
 
"She was the goalkeeper," Masey recalled. "I was the teeny-tiny forward who would shoot on goal and never make it."
 
"Every team she played on," Molli added. "She's been the fastest since day one. This little thing zooming on the field."
 
By age 12, the two moved on to FC Alliance. The move to Alliance meant they were serious about soccer. It would help shape the pair as they advanced through middle and high school together and then on to college.
 
Only twice were the two not on the same team. They were in the same club with Blount United but placed on two different teams in their age group for one year.
 
"We were both kind of like, 'Who do we ride to practice with?'" Masey said.
 
But they were still always together. There was one time when Molli tagged along for a trip to a tournament in which Masey's team was playing.
 
""I remember going to Ohio. I don't even know why I did that," Molli said. "I just sat and watched [her] team play. My team wasn't even there.
 
"We were always together."
 
The other time was in high school. Molli played for Maryville, a strong athletic program in East Tennessee, and Masey was a forward for Greenback. In their freshman year, the two programs faced off.
 
"It was not a good result," Masey remembered.
 
"It wasn't very pretty," Molli agreed. "My team wasn't taking it very seriously. I told them there was a girl on that team named Masey Fox and she's going to roast all of y'all.
 
"She did. I remember very specifically, her coming out like the first play of the game and she's like ZOOOOM! Almost scores!"
 
They didn't become friends immediately on the field for the Lady Hammers. It was a friendship that built over time and now shows in the shared memories, smiles and genuine laughter. It is a friendship that has lasted most of their lives and will continue after they graduate from UTC in the spring to go their separate ways.
 
"We are such good friends outside of soccer too," Molli said. "It's not just a soccer field relationship."
 
The Mocs will bid farewell to their friends and teammates prior to the game Friday night at Finley Stadium against league-leading Samford. It will be Masey and Molli's last regular season game at home, in front of their fans, friends and family.
 
 "It's crazy when you come to the end of the road and you realize just how long you've made it," Masey said. "There have been a lot of other people who decided to go elsewhere and we – somehow – stuck through it.
 
"We know each other so well by accident."


GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, October 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. / Finley Stadium
Live Stats: GoMocs.com
Video Streaming:
Gameday Promotion: Senior Night / Breast Cancer Awareness
 
CHATTANOOGA vs. SAMFORD
Samford leads the series with the Mocs by a 12-1 margin and has won the last 11 games. Chattanooga's only win was by a 2-0 margin in 1999, Linda Whitehead's final season as head coach. The two were not conference opponents at that time.
 
ABOUT CHATTANOOGA
The Mocs are 8-5-2 overall and 4-1-1 in league play. Eight wins is the most by the Chattanooga since 2005. UTC is currently third in the SoCon standings, three points behind league-leading Samford. UTC has seven shutouts on the year including three in conference play. UTC has allowed just 1.2 goals per game. The Mocs have 24 goals and average 1.6 per game.
 
Chloe Arnold leads the Southern Conference in scoring with 27 points on a conference-best 11 goals and five assists. Masey Fox is second on the team in scoring with 10 points on three goals and four assists. Ashton Shields has a league-best 0.45 goals against average and has given up just four goals. She is 6-1-2 overall and has six shutouts.
 
ABOUT SAMFORD
The Bulldogs are 8-5-1 overall and lead the Southern Conference with a 5-0-1 league mark. Samford is on a seven-game unbeaten streak this season and has not lost a league match in 22 straight games. The Bulldogs' last loss to a SoCon foe was in 2016 to Furman.
 
Erin Bonner leads the team in scoring with five goals. Ella Baggett is second on the team in scoring with six points on two goals and two assists and Caroline Orman and Korrie Sauder have two goals apiece. Stephanie Westaway has started 12 of the 14 games in which she has appeared and has an 8-3 record for the Bulldogs. She has a .746 saves percentage (50 saves) and a 1.23 goals against average, allowing 17 goals on 125 shots faced.
 
CHATTANOOGA SENIORS
Seniors Masey Fox and Molli Miller began their career at Chattanooga in Gavin McKinney's first year at the helm. The two will be honored by the team prior to kick off for their final regular season home match at Finley Stadium.
 
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
The Mocs, in partnership with Erlanger Center for Breast Health, will host a "Pink Out Night" for breast cancer awareness. Find your best pink outfit and come out to join UTC in the fight against this deadly disease.
 
Center for Breast Health messaging:
Mammograms don't prevent breast cancer, but they are the safest, most reliable tool to find breast cancer early. Practice safe breast health and schedule your yearly mammogram today at one of Erlanger's five convenient locations – Erlanger Baroness, Erlanger East, Erlanger North, Erlanger Bledsoe and Erlanger Murphy Medical. For more information about of breast services visit ErlangerMammoversary.org or call 423-778-P-I-N-K to schedule your yearly mammogram.
 
About the Center for Breast Health:
The Center for Breast Health at Erlanger East  and the Erlanger Baroness Hospital is home to amazing heroes and technologies in the battle against breast cancer. Our NAPBC-accredited center not only offers the latest in digital mammography, it features bone density testing, the region's only board-certified genetics counselors, and a certified breast cancer navigator to counsel and encourage a woman through every phase of diagnosis and treatment. For those that qualify, the center at Erlanger East Hospital also features the latest in 3D Tomosynthesis Mammography, a new technology providing higher detection rates and fewer false alarms for certain cases. And it's all conveniently in your neighborhood.
 

• Digital mammography
• 3-D Tomosynthesis mammography
• Ultrasound
• Bone density testing
• Breast cancer navigator
• A dedicated breast radiologist is onsite full-time for fast, accurate testing
• The region's only cancer program with Board-Certified Genetics Counselors

 
In addition to the Center for Breast Health located at Erlanger Baroness Hospital and Erlanger East Hospital, Erlanger also provides mammography services at Erlanger North, Erlanger Bledsoe and Erlanger Murphy Medical Center.
 
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