ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior Heidi Rebollar celebrated Senior Night with a “Hat Trick” of 3 goals Friday night to lead East Bladen to a 4-0 Waccamaw Conference girls’ soccer victory over Whiteville.
Coach Jay Raynor’s Lady Eagles improved to 8-2 in the Waccamaw and 11-2-1 overall. East Bladen will host West Bladen Monday night. Whiteville dropped to 2-6 in the Waccamaw and 3-12 overall.
In the 16th minute, junior Jackie Medina-Leal served a ball into the box that senior Molly Evans was able to get to. Evans headed the ball past the keeper into the net for a 1-0 lead.
“Molly had a good night,” stated Coach Raynor. “She made some solid runs to goal and scored a nice goal with the header. Eliana (Padilla) was asked to play a different position tonight and has been out for a couple of games. She performed well and didn’t miss a beat.”
Raynor added, “Jackie had another amazing game. She had an assist but provided much more than that. Her 1-v-1 ability makes her dangerous. I thought she dominated when she was on the ball. Jackie creates chances for herself and her teammates. Whiteville tried their best to mark her and changed their tactics to defend her and her side of the field.”
Heidi Rebollar buried a shot past the keeper from distance just outside the 18 yard box for her 1st goal of the night. Lexi Ventura played the ball and was credited with the assist.
“Leah McGill played the entire game for us at leftback and did a phenomenal job,” noted Raynor. “I thought Leah made great decisions when she was on the ball and when she had to make a play. Kaelyn Eason also had a strong night. She and Lexi Ventura rotated in the midfield for us. Both played well and did everything we asked them to do for us tonight.”
Heidi Rebollar struck again with a goal in the 22nd minute. Evans was fouled in the box in the 2nd half, and Heidi Rebollar drilled in the penalty kick in the 64th minute to push the lead to 4-0.
“I think Heidi had an unforgettable Senior Night,” said Raynor. “Even being marked, she dominated the midfield. Not only was she able to provide an attack with her passes, she also put three goals in the back of the net. She’s our motor in midfield. When she’s on and attacking/distributing the ball, we are dangerous.”
Seniors honored before the game were Reese Hester, Molly Evans, Heidi Rebollar, Julia Stanely, Eliana Padilla, and Zoe Smith.
“Our seniors played exceptionally well tonight,” said Raynor. “The emotions of Senior Night can be tough to deal with. I thought our seniors made the game feel like any other game. They weren’t forcing anything and were just playing with teammates. To get a result at home against a conference foe and rival is huge.”
Raynor continued, “With Heidi and Jackie’s play we are being able to get more girls into our attack. We are still trying to get it figured out and the timing down but we are getting more girls into the attack. We are asking a lot of Anna (Miranda) but she’s up for the task. Anna had a solid performance. Anna did well making plays as well as tackles tonight. I thought she played a physical game and let her presence be known. Anna made good decisions on the ball. She helped support our attack and kept the game on Whiteville’s end.”
Raynor concluded, “Zoe and Reese weren’t asked to do a lot tonight during the run of play. Zoe had a few great clears and a nice move to keep possession late in the game. Reese didn’t have a save but did have a few punts. Reese and Zoe did a great job with communication and keeping our backs organized.”
About Author
