First-round soccer playoffs roundup: Jags, Wave, KM win
Ashbrook 4, West Meck 0
GASTONIA - Haley Conner turned a hat trick with three goals - including a powerful, bending corner shot that hooked just inside the goalpost - as Ashbrook blasted West Meck 4-0 in the first round of the state playoffs on Wednesday.
It's something not seen very often in a girls' high school game. Green Wave coach Nan Kirlin said Conner was simply "in the zone."
"She was on fire today," Kirlin said. "She played great, just getting herself in position to score and having an all-around great game. And at just the right time, too."
Jennifer Delcastillo chipped in with a goal and an assist for the Green Wave, who got out to an early lead and played solid defense down the stretch to preserve the win.
Goaltender Shannon Rogers anchored that stingy defense with a shutout effort. Kirlin said Rogers played about as well Wednesday as she had all season and pointed out that Rogers made several slidiing saves outside the box.
"She didn't miss a trick,"Kirlin said. "She was aggressive in goal and came out for everying she could. We're going to need her to continue to play at that kind of level if we're going to move on in the postseason."
The Wave's road gets much tougher this weekend as they play on the road at powerhouse Ardrey Kell on Saturday.
Forestview 2, Tuscola 0
GASTONIA - Kelsey Harris scored a pair of goals to lead Forestview to a 2-0 win over Tuscola in the first round of the state soccer playoffs on Wednesday in Gastonia.
The Jaguars played somewhat lackadaisically in the opening half, according to caoch Sam Braxton. But Harris took charge in the second and carried the offensive load.
"We were flat in the first half, but in the second we picked up the pressure, and it started with her," Braxton said. "Kelsey was electrifying in the second half.
"She was taking the ball away from girls, moving people out of the way, fighting for the goals," he said. "She really stepped up for us when we needed it."
Jessie Holder earned an assist in the game and Brittany Ervin was solid in goal, registering the shutout.
It gets much tougher in the second round as the Jaguars play Hickory, a 3-1 winner over Franklin on Wednesday. The Jaguars lost to the red Tornadoes in the playoffs a year ago in a wild, double-overtime game.
"We need to have our defense step up and play like we did in the second half to have a chance," Braxton said. "We can do it. We just need to avoid coming out flat in the first half again."
Kings Mountain 2, Statesville 1
KINGS MOUNTAIN - Kings Mountain advanced to the second round of the 3A soccer playoffs with a 2-1 triumph over Statesville Wednesday night.
The Lady Mountaineers (21-1-2) will play host to Asheville (15-5-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. Kings Mountain defeated Asheville, 2-1, in a game earlier this season.
Both of the Mounties' goals came in the first half as Megan Loftin and Ramey Kerns tallied one goal each. Kerns and Ashley Witherspoon provided assists for coach Dan Potter's squad.
KM controlled most of the possession in the game and missed out on numerous chances to extend its lead. Statesville cut the lead to 2-1 with 11 minutes left when Sarah Ann Waugh converted a penalty kick.
Led by defender Kelli Bolt and goalie Heather Stevens, the Mounties kept the Lady Greyhounds (12-10-2) off the scoreboard the rest of the way and preserved the win.
"When you miss that many chances, you always wonder if it's going to come back and bite you," Potter said. "I thought our kids played a very solid defensive game, but offensively we should have scored more goals."
Freedom 2, East Gaston 0
MOUNT HOLLY - For East Gaston, a spectacular season, which featured the most wins in school history, came to an end with a disappointing 2-0 loss against Freedom in the first round of state playoffs.
After a scoreless first half, the Patriots scored early with a goal coming from Nicola Thomas within the first 10 minutes of the second frame. Freedom's last goal came at the end when Emily Rooks scored a goal in the final two minutes.
"There is a lot of uncertainty in the playoffs. In the first half, this was true for both teams. But in the second half they (Freedom) stepped up the aggressiveness," said Warriors coach Josh Allen.
Despite a bitter end, Allen was still pleased the way his team performed this year.
"It was our goal to make it to the playoffs, and I am not at all ashamed of this team and what we accomplished," he said.
East Gaston, which graduates seven seniors this year, finishes the year with a 12-5-3 overall record, and a 9-2-1 record in the Big South 3A/4A Conference.
North Buncombe 3, South Point 0
BELMONT- Soccer teams from the mountain area of North Carolina are notorious for being big, tough, and aggressive.
North Buncombe was all that and more on Wednesday night at South Point, defeating the Red Raiders 3-0 in the first round of the 3A playoffs.
The Raiders knew they had their hands full with the third seed out of the Mountain Athletic Conference entering the game.
"We came out and played hard, which is what you have to do against a mountain team," said South Point head coach John Miller. "We just couldn't put it in the net."
Kristen Girardi drew first blood with her goal in the 11th minute from just inside the box. Girardi sped by the Raider defense to give the Black Hawks the early lead. South Point mustered three shots on goal in the first half before North Buncombe went up by two into halftime.
The Black Hawks scored just before the whistle with Audrey Hartye's goal that dribbled by South Point keeper Gabby Bevlin. Hartye received the ball 25 yards out from Emilee Roberson and gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead entering the second half.
"I told the girls they had to step up in the second half and they weren't out of it," said Miller of his halftime speech. "We didn't play as aggressively as we should have."
The match was still within the grasp of the Red Raiders at the start of the second half. But the Black Hawks pushed the lead to three in the 54th minute when Hartye scored her second goal. Hartye's ball snuck by Bevlin, hit the right post, and ricocheted in to make it 3-0.
Last year, the Red Raiders fell to a MAC team in the first round of the playoffs, losing 5-0 to T.C. Roberson. South Point finishes the season 13-8-2 and will return all players next year except midfielder Gerry Le and Elizabeth McEwan.
"We overcame a lot this season and overall played well," said Miller, whose team finished third in the Big South 3A/4A.
North Buncombe (13-4-3) will travel to Charlotte Catholic on Saturday in the second round of the playoffs.
