West Bladen Brooke Signletary going for goal in the first half.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
West Bladen
BLADENBORO — The West Bladen Lady Knights defeated the Red Springs Lady Devils for a 5-2 victory in overtime on Tuesday for a SAC 7 clash. Both teams split the possession 50/50 in the first half as both teams searched for an early edge. West Bladen junior forward Brooke Singletary got the first real chance of the game in the 29th minute but put her shot wide of the mark. Red Springs soaked up their opponents’ pressure and was able to push the ball forward to their attacking players.
The ball found its way to senior midfielder Lexi Ricardez Perez in the box but immediate pressure from the Lady Knights’ backline forced her to push her shot wide of the mark. The Lady Knights senior winger Lainey Autry beat her defender in a 1v1 duel but couldn’t get her shot on target to break the deadlock. West Bladen continued to keep the pressure on their opponents and was getting solid chances on goal but lacked the finishing product.
Red Springs didn’t get many chances on their opponent’s goal but sophomore winger Laney Robertson took a golden opportunity in stride as she put away a cross at the far post to make the game 1-nil with 23 minutes left in the half. The Lady Knights almost got a response a few moments later with an individual effort from Autry on the right flank but couldn’t sneak her shot into the near post.
Ricardez Perez had a chance to extend the Lady Devils’ lead but sent her shot straight toward the keeper. West Bladen senior winger Eva Ayala-Martinez found herself in a fortunate spot when a cross from Autry trickled into her path in the box but she wasn’t able to equalize as pushed her shot wide. The time on the clock dwindled down to seconds and Red Springs attempted one more push on goal before the conclusion of the first half.
The Lady Devils sent in a weak shot toward senior keeper Briana Carranza Toledo with less than 30 seconds to go and the host responded with a quick counter of their own. Autry received the ball on the edge of the box and used her pace to get around her defender to find just enough space to send a dipping shot underneath the crossbar to tie the game at 1-1.
The deadlock persisted in the second half as the game went to overtime to find a winner. Singletary and Ayala-Martinez both scored two goals to help seal the Lady Knights’ first victory in conference play. Sophomore Jazmy Funez Aranda and Singleterry were both credited with an assist. West Bladen will go head-to-head with the Lady Devils this Thursday in Red Springs for their next match.
East Bladen
WHITEVILLE — The East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the Whiteville Lady Wolfpack for a 4-1 victory on Wednesday night in a non-conference match-up. The Lady Eagles will take on Red Springs away from home on Tuesday for their next game.