ELIZABETHTOWN-The fifth-seeded Wake Prep Guardians defeated the fourth-seeded East Bladen Lady Eagles for a 5-4 victory in the third round of the 1A NCHSAA State Playoffs last Monday. The Lady Eagles may have finished the game on the losing end of a nine-goal thriller but their heart was on full display against a quality opponent. Senior forward Jackie Medina-Leal gave the host an early first half advantage after her low-shot from distance trickled into the Guardians net.

Wake Prep slowly grew into the game and eventually found their equalizer after 13 minutes past in the first half; the Guardians threaded a few passes together before freshman forward Skylar Capps took an ambitious shot from range that snuck through a wall of bodies and into the back of the net. The visitors kept their foot on the gas with bombing runs down the flank as they sought to take the lead with 25 minutes to go before the halftime break. Senior winger Chelsea Lange and sophomore winger Carly Giles were instrumental in the Guardians attack with their fearlessness on the dribble.

Lange beat a couple of Lady Eagles defenders and cranked up a shot from distance that went over the bar to send warning-signals across her opponents backline. Giles made a charging run down the right-flank before she drifted into the box and served a ball to an open player; Capps nabbed her second goal of the half with a firm shot into the bottom corner as she scored on Giles assisted pass and the Guardians took a 2-1 advantage with 14 minutes remaining in the opening half.

The Guardians nearly pierced their opponents net with Giles sending a looping cross that almost inadvertently dropped into the goal but just went wide of the mark. The visitors would get a couple of shots on target before the halftime whistle but East Bladen junior keeper Aubri Nixon was there to deny them. Wake Prep junior midfielder Brenna Barnes blasted a shot from distance that clanked off the post and deflected back into Nixon arms in the final seconds of the half. East Bladen may have been second-best in the first half but they refused to quit as they began the next half on fire.

Senior forward Iveonna “NeNe” Ward sat out the Lady Eagles second round game due to injury but she was able to return against Wake Prep in a meaningful way. Ward wrangled in a loose ball and sprinted her way towards the Guardians net; the keeper rushed out to Ward but she kept her composure with a chipped shot to make the match 2-2 after three minutes played in the second half. East Bladen’s forward line of Medina-Leal and Ward pressed their opponents backline relentlessly in the opening 10 minutes of the half. Medina-Leal nabbed the ball off a defender in a dangerous area and nearly found Ward inside the box with a thru ball but failed to connect.

Wake Prep survived the momentary pressure from the host and they went back to dominating the possession with multiple passes across the field. The Guardians got their first real chance of the half with Capps receiving a diagonal ball in the box but blasted her shot over the bar as defenders closed down her space. The visitors continued to wreak havoc on their opponents with flanking runs and diagonal balls from one side to the other.

Lange attempted to dribble past multiple defenders on the wing before being stopped in her tracks near the corner flag; Wake Prep took advantage of the ensuing corner kick as freshmen defender Addison Roach blasted in the corner to make the match 3-2 with 22 minutes remaining in regulation. The Guardians stretched their advantage a minute later as Lange cut onto her left foot and blasted a looping shot towards the far-post to make things 4-2.

East Bladen head coach Jay Raynor told his team to keep believing from the touchline after the Guardians fourth goal and tides seemed to be leaning in the favor of the visitors. East Bladen’s Medina-Leal received the ball at midfield before wheeling down the right-flank and sending a cross into the box; Ward sprinted through the heart of the Guardians defense as she was able to steer in the cross from Medina-Leal for the Lady Eagles third goal. The host went on a five minute spell of possession and they began to slowly creep up the field to cause problems for their opponents.

Coach Raynor got into a debate with the ref over a call that ultimately saw the Lady Eagles coach walking away with a yellow card but the brief stoppage in action allowed the players on the field to catch their breath. East Bladen were awarded a free kick at the edge of the box and junior defender Gabby Rebollar stepped up to take the kick. Rebollar blasted the free kick into a wall of defenders but her shot hit an arm to give her another opportunity in front of goal. She pierced the left corner of the goal with a second-chance at the free kick and the game was now tied at 4-4 with 10 minutes remaining.

Wake Prep went back on the front-foot in attack and were close to snatching back the lead a minute later but their opponents defense held firm. Sophomore midfielder Ella Saunders got the decisive goal in the eighth minute as she took a couple dribbles into space and cranked a shot from distance to give the Guardians a 5-4 advantage. Wake Prep moves onto the fourth round to take on the number-one seeded Eno River Academy Bobcats. Eno River survived against the eighth-seeded Perquimans Pirates for a 3-2 victory in the third round last Monday.

The number-three seeded Lejeune Bulldogs will take on the number-three seeded Woods Charter Wolves on the other side of the 1A East Regional bracket. East Bladen finished their season with an overall record of 16-2-2 and they finished first in the Waccamaw Conference with an 11-1 record.

2A EAST REGIONAL THIRD RD:

#9 Clinton(12-9-3) 0, #1 Franklin Academy(22-0) 5

#5 Manteo(16-7) 1, #4 Seaforth(20-2-1) 2

#6 Washington(15-3-1) 1, #19 East Duplin(13-8-2)

#7 Southwest Onslow(15-4-3) 0, #2 Roanoke Rapids(20-1) 1

2A EAST REGIONAL FOURTH RD:

#4 Seaforth at #1 Franklin Academy

#19 East Duplin at #2 Roanoke Rapids