ELIZABETHTOWN – The number-four seeded East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the 13th-seeded Southern Wake Academy Lions for a 4-nil victory in the second round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs. East Bladen senior forward Jackie Medina-Leal scored two goals in the victory over the Lions and the Lady Eagles defense claimed their 11th shutout victory of the season. Medina-Leal opened the scoring by shaking her defender and she sent a looping shot over the keeper’s head to make the game 1-nil after five minutes of action.
Southern Wake attempted to answer back a few minutes later but an ambitious shot from outside the box went straight into the opposing keepers gloves. The Lady Eagles quickly sprung on the offensive as Medina-Leal won the race for a long-ball over the top but the visitors defense was able to recover in time to send the ball out for a corner. East Bladen junior defender Gabriela Rebollar took the ensuing corner kick a few moments later and Medina-Leal connected her head with the cross as her shot deflected off a defender for an own-goal to make the game 2-nil.
The Southern Wake Lions struggled to hold possession or manufacture meaningful attacks against their opponents in the beginning of the half. Medina-Leal came out on the winning-end of a 50/50 challenge in her opponent’s box and her effort would lead to another East Bladen corner kick. Rebollar’s service followed a mad scramble in the penalty area before the ball spilled outside the box to freshmen defender Kenley Parks; Parks took a touch away from her body and then rifled a shot into the net to give the Lady Eagles a 3-nil advantage with 20 minutes remaining in the half.
The Lions finally got a look at their opponents goal with nine minutes remaining in the first half but East Bladen keeper Aubri Nixon foiled the chance by falling on top of the loose ball. Parks attempted another long-range bomb but went without luck this time as the Lady Eagles would enter the intermission comfortably in front. The Lady Eagles would begin the second half with the same amount of intensity and Medina-Leal bagged her second goal of the evening by swiping the ball from her opponents foot on the press.
The host hunkered down in the back and dared their opponents to find a way through their defensive-line as they held a 4-nil lead with 39 minutes to go. Medina-Leal stayed deadly on the counterattack and she could’ve added a couple more goals to her tally before the final whistle. Southern Wake forward Hannah Torri attempted to push her team forward with ambitious solo runs but the Lady Eagles backline were quick to shut her down. The Lady Eagles booked their ticket to the third round against the fifth-seeded Wake Prep Academy Guardians(12-7-1) this Monday.
This will be the second consecutive year the Lady Eagles have made it to the third round of the 1A East Region and they’ll be looking to keep their eleven-game unbeaten run alive. The Guardians edged out the 12th-seeded East Wake Eagles for a 1-nil victory in their second round match-up. East Bladen’s overall record moved to 16-1-2 on the season and they’re the last team standing in the postseason for Waccamaw Conference teams. The East Columbus Gators and the West Columbus Vikings both took 9-nil defeats in the first round of the 1A East Region last Tuesday.
South Columbus failed to impress in the first round of the 2A East Region as they suffered an 8-nil loss against the seventh-seeded Southwest Onslow Stallions. The number-eight seeded Heide Trask Lady Titans were able to represent the Waccamaw with a first round win as they defeated Wallace-Rose Hill for a 2-1 victory. Sophomore forward Nayeli Sanchez bagged two goals in the opening round victory to help the Lady Titans move onto Clinton(12-8-3) in the second round.
The ninth-seeded Clinton Darkhorses defeated North Pitt in the opening round before hosting Heide Trask last Thursday. The SAC 6 Champions tested the Waccamaw Champions backline and they earned three goals for their effort in attack. Clinton sophomore Jenna Jackson was responsible for a goal and an assist in the second round victory last Thursday evening. Heide Trask ended their season with an overall record of 15-4-2 and their 11-1 record in conference play earned them a share of the Waccamaw title. The Darkhoreses will continue to represent the SAC 6 Conference in the postseason with a third round matchup against the number-one seeded Franklin Academy Patriots(21-0).