ROBBINS – North Moore scored the final two goals Tuesday night and beat West Bladen 5-3 in the opening round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A boys’ soccer playoffs.
The East’s 13th-seeded Mustangs (7-7-1) are scheduled to play at No. 4 Midway (14-6-1) in the second round Thursday.
West Bladen, the No. 20 seed, ended its season under first-year head coach Brett Jackson with a 6-11-1 record. The Knights won three of their final four regular season matches.
Master sports schedule | Standings
North Moore’s Rafael Romero scored from 25 yards out off a direct kick within the first three minutes that gave the Mustangs an early 1-0 advantage, then added another midway through the first half.
West Bladen answered with a pair of tallies in a five minute span to tie it at 2-all. The first goal at the 23 minute mark was scored by Kevin Sebastian off a pass from Levi Velasco in tight after a scramble following a corner kick. The second goal came from Jonah Bryan, who took a pass from Alejandro Lopez just inside the left of the box and booted past the North Moore keeper.
North Moore regained the lead midway through the second half, but the Knights struck less than a minute later when Jonathan Ortiz blasted a kick into the top right corner of the goal from about 35 yards out that made it 3-all.
However, North Moore scored again about a minute later for a 4-3 lead with 20 minutes remaining, then sealed it with a goal with five minutes left to play.
None of the four Southeastern Conference teams won playoff matches Tuesday. Along with West Bladen’s defeat, Whiteville lost to James Kenan 4-1 in class 3A, Red Springs was shut out by Bunn 1-0 in 4A and South Brunswick fell to Croatan 4-0 in 5A.
RECREATION
In youth football at Bladen County Park, the Buffaloes beat the Ducks 13-6 in 10-12-year old tackle football and the Hurricanes remained unbeaten with a 20-6 triumph against the Wolfpack in 7-9-year-old flag football.
In youth volleyball at King Street Gym in Elizabethtown, the Waves, Huskies, Shockers and Thunder were victorious.
TUESDAY, NOV. 4
HIGH SCHOOL
NCHSAA Boys’ Soccer Playoffs
East Bladen 6, Roxboro Community 0
North Moore 5, West Bladen 3
RECREATION
5-6-Year-Old Flag Football
Tigers vs. Bulldogs
Tarheels vs. Gators
7-9-Year-Old Flag Football
Hurricanes 20, Wolfpack 6
10-12-Year-Old Tackle Football
Buffaloes 13, Ducks 6
8-9-Year-Old Volleyball
Waves 2, Hurricanes 0 (25-23, 25-19)
10-11-Year-Old Volleyball
Huskies 2, Wildcats 1 (21-25, 25-22, 15-11)
12-14-Year-Old Volleyball
Shockers 2, Storm 1 (9-25, 25-19, 15-13)
Thunder 2, Flyers 0 (25-22, 25-13)
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5
No games scheduled
THURSDAY, NOV 6
HIGH SCHOOL
NCHSAA Boys’ Soccer Playoffs
East Bladen at Raleigh Charter
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Football
East Bladen at Whiteville, 6 p.m.
West Bladen at South Columbus, 6 p.m.
Volleyball
At Bladenboro, 4 p.m.: Bladenboro vs. Nakina, Nakina vs. Williams Township, Bladenboro vs. Williams Township
At Whiteville, 4 p.m.: Tar Heel vs. Whiteville, Tar Heel vs. Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown vs. Whiteville
RECREATION
5-6-Year-Old Flag Football at Bladen County Park
Bulldogs vs. Tarheels, 6 p.m.
Gators vs. Tigers, 7 p.m.
7-9-Year-Old Flag Football at Bladen County Park
Wolfpack vs. Volunteers, 6 p.m.
Crimson Tide vs. Bulldogs, 7 p.m.
8-9-Year-Old Volleyball at King Street Gym, Elizabethtown
Cyclones vs. Typhoons, 5:45 p.m.
10-11-Year-Old Volleyball at King Street Gym, Elizabethtown
Mustangs vs. Jaguars, 6:30 p.m.
12-14-Year-Old Volleyball at King Street Gym, Elizabethtown
Flames vs. Flyers, 7:15 p.m.
Thunder vs. Shockers, 8 p.m.