BLADEN COUNTY — The SAC 7 All-Conference selections have been made and seven of Bladen County’s best made the list. Clinton head coach Jeff Smith was named “Coach of the Year” after another successful season and deep postseason run. Talented senior midfielder Anna Perry Sinclair was named “Player of the Year ” after leading the Darkhorses with 53 goal involvements.
East Bladen
ELIZABETHTOWN — The Lady Eagles selected for All-Conference are the following– senior midfielder Acee Campbell, junior defender Molly Evans, junior midfielder Heidi Rebollar, and sophomore forward Jackie Medina-Leal.
Campbell was the anchor for the Lady Eagles midfield this season and her veteran leadership allowed her to be an extension of head coach Jay Raynor on the field. Her ability to move laterally helped plug up the middle of the park and would give her backline a bit of extra security.
Rebollar played alongside Campbell in the center of the midfield and their partnership allowed the Lady Eagles to dominate games. Rebollar was the offensive spark in the middle and she spearheaded attacks with her ability to pick passes or score from distance.
Evans played on the right side of the defense for the Lady Eagles but her ability to get forward was instrumental for her team in the attacking third. Her work rate to get up and down the right flank made the Lady Eagles’ attack more dynamic this season.
Medina-Leal’s ability to carry the ball at her feet would allow her to play as a positionless 10 at times as she’d drift across her opponent’s side of the field demanding the ball in dangerous areas. She’d give her opponents nightmares when running at them on 1v1’s and she could score at any moment once inside the box.
West Bladen
BLADENBORO- The Lady Knights selected for All-Conference are the following– Senior forward Lainey Autry, senior defender Kaden Thurmen, and senior midfielder Eva Ayala-Martinez.
Autry was the talisman for the Lady Knights with 17 goals and four assists on the season. Autry’s trump card was her athleticism and she loved to use her pace to blow by her defenders to cause trouble in the box. She scored four hat tricks in style this season to account for the majority of her goals.
Thurmen was one of the Lady Knights’ veteran leaders and she would lead with her play on the field with her tireless effort. Thurmen ranked third on her team for steals with 159, while also scoring four goals and bagging three assists in her senior season.
Ayala-Martinez led her team with 192 steals this season and proved to be a key player for the Lady Knights this season. Her 1v1 ability on the flanks allowed her to be the danger-women that the Lady Knights could call on when their opponents least suspected it; she finished the season with four goals and an assist.