East Bladen Molly Evens carrying the ball down the touchline.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
Princeton sophomore forward Macie Allison trying to find space to work.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
East Bladen Jackie Medina-Leal cutting the ball back on her defender.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
East Bladen junior midfielder Heidi Rebollar passing the ball off to a teammate.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
West Bladen Soccer
CLINTON — The number-one-seeded Clinton Darkhorses defeated the 32nd-seeded West Bladen Lady Knights for a 9-nil victory in the first round of the NCHSAA state playoffs on Monday. The Darkhorses were out of sight early with five goals in the first half before cruising the remainder of the match.
The Lady Knights played most of the match in their half and were left chasing the game from minute one. Junior goalkeeper Briana Carranza Toledo was the last line of defense for the Lady Knights and she finished the match with 17 saves. West Bladen senior Eva Ayala-Martinez and sophomore Ashley Sanchez-Resendiz both finished the game with 11 steals/tackles.
Clinton junior forward Kenzy Yang pulled the strings for her team with two goals and four assists in the win. Senior forward Ally Sutter, junior midfielder Sophia Jackson, and junior midfielder Ava Williford all scored twice in the dominating victory. Clinton advances to the next round where they’ll face the 16th-seeded Research Triangle Raptors this Thursday.
West Bladen season ends with an overall record of 7-14 and a SAC 7 record of 3-7 for a fourth-place finish in the standings.
East Bladen Soccer
ELIZABETHTOWN — The 13th-seeded East Bladen Lady Eagles defeated the 20th-seeded Princeton Lady Bulldogs for a 3-nil victory in the first round of the NCHSAA state playoffs on Monday. The Lady Eagles put away three goals in the first ten minutes of the second half to secure their first-round win on home soil. Junior midfielder Molly Evens slotted home the first goal, freshman defender Gabby Robeller scored the second from the penalty spot, and scored the third with a screamer from distance.
East Bladen was dominant from minute one of the first half and they created chances early to put instant pressure on their opponents. Evens created the first chance with a darting run down the flank but lacked the angle to get a proper shot on target. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to string two passes together with constant pressure from their opponents.
The Lady Eagles outshot their opponents in the first half but failed to get past sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Cuddington. Evens came close to breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute but wasn’t able to poke the ball through at a mad scramble on the Lady Bulldogs’ goalline.
Princeton sophomore forward Macie Allison attempted to manufacture counter-attacks on solo runs but the East Bladen defense held firm by swarming her. The Lady Bulldogs got their first look on goal with 17 minutes remaining in the first half when a corner went straight across their opponent’s box but went without a touch from either team. East Bladen junior midfielder Heidi Rebollar responded immediately with a shot from a distance on the other end but it traveled straight into the keeper’s hands.
Allison had one more chance on goal before the half concluded but her header went wide of the mark. The Lady Eagles upped their intensity coming out of the break and scored two minutes into the second half on a well-worked set piece that put them up 1-nil. The Lady Eagles kept the pressure on and almost scored a few moments later after Cuddington spilled a shot from distance in front of sophomore forward NeNe Ward but she wasn’t able to poke it past her. Fortunately for the Lady Eagles, the chances were coming back to back and their pressure caused their opponent’s defense to crack.
The ref pointed to the spot in the 35th minute after a Princeton defender was called for a handball in the box. Gabby Robeller calmly stepped up to the spot before passing the ball into the right corner of the net for the Lady Eagles’ second goal of the day. She scored three minutes later with a shot that dipped awkwardly in front of the keeper and bounced in for the third goal of the match. East Bladen cruised through the remainder of the game as their opponents struggled to get the ball forward. The East Bladen defense and junior goalkeeper Reese Hester got their fifth straight shutout victory in their last six games.
The Lady Eagles will travel away from home this Thursday as they take on the fourth-seeded North Johnston Panthers in the next round of the playoffs.