Tremendous seasons for the Northwood and Jordan-Matthews girls’ soccer teams came to a close May 15 in the third round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs for both.
In 3A, Northwood dropped a tough 1-0 decision at East Chapel Hill to close out the season at 16-7-1.
Brynn Adams scored off an assist from Caroline Parker in midway through the opening half to secure the win for the Wildcats.
Northwood had plenty of chances, including seven shots on goal, two each by Katie Fuller and Sydney Arnott, and one apiece by Madeline Conte, Monique Diaz and Hallie Arnott, but could never reach the net against ECH keeper Tierney McConnell.
Ella Strayer had six saves in goal for the Lady Chargers.
Despite the loss, Conte, a senior, was proud of what her Northwood club accomplished this season.
“I think the earlier win against East Chapel Hill was really a turning point in our season, and getting to be on our home field and watch the clock tick down to zero with the scoreboard showing Northwood 2, East Chapel Hill 1 was really special,” said Conte, reflecting on the season after the tough loss. “Chapel Hill schools just have this culture of showing up and winning, and it was so satisfying to see the look on their faces when we won that game. It was almost like they were in disbelief.”
“In all my four years of playing for the soccer team that game was definitely the most memorable and I would say one of the greatest experiences of my high school career,” added Conte, who’s headed to North Carolina State University. “Before the season started, me and some of the other seniors had a goal of making it to playoffs and taking pre season workouts more seriously. We were really motivated to change the culture of the team as we wanted the program to continue to progress and we were just tired of losing.”
East Chapel Hill downed Jacksonville 1-0 on Saturday and was scheduled to battle Clayton in the 3A Eastern Finals.
Jordan-Matthews lost 9-0 down at powerful Croatan on the North Carolina coast in the 2A State Playoffs that same night.
Despite the loss, the season also helped changed the view of Jordan-Matthews girl’s soccer as the Jets captured the 2A PAC 7 Conference titleI and closed with a 16-7-1 mark.
“I told my teammates that I was proud that we played Croatan so tough for as long as we did, giving them a game for most of the first half after such a long bus ride,” said Lady Jet senior Yasmin Rivera. “Winnings the conference title and making it to the third round of the states, hosting two state playoff games, that something I will always remember and something that I’m very proud that we accomplished as a team.”