03/27/2024
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BURGAW – Seniors Lacey Suggs and Abby Ward recorded ‘Hat Tricks’ of 3 goals each to lead East Bladen to an 8-2 Four County Conference girls soccer victory over Pender Tuesday night.

Suggs finished with 3 goals, 4 assists and 12 steals to lead the East Bladen offense. Ward tallied 3 goals, dished out an assist and recorded a team-high 14 steals. Junior Justyna Gargala scored a goal and was credited with 2 assists and 8 steals.

Senior Claire Campbell scored the other Lady Eagle goal and posted 5 steals. Freshman Ashley Hardin finished with one assist and 7 steals. Junior Lexi Mendell also collected 8 steals, and freshman Ting Lin and junior Cassie Hill contributed 7 steals each.

Junior Anna Grace Long had 4 steals, and sophmore Hannah Devane, freshman Sarah Johnson and junior Maddie West added 3 steals each.

The Lady Eagles grabbed an early 2-0 lead as Suggs converted a Gargala feed into the first goal, then sent a nice feed to Gargala that Gargala banged into the net.

However the early lead was short-lived as Pender rallied to tie the game 2-2 at halftime. “We started out strong with 2 goals in the first 8 minutes,” said East Bladen Coach Jay Raynor. “But I don’t know if it was the heat or what, but we got lethargic. We didn’t clear 2 balls and they turned those mistakes into goals.”

The Eagles came out firing in the second half as Suggs knocked in her second goal and started a string of 6 unanswered goals for East Bladen.

Seven minutes after that goal, Ward headed a corner kick from Suggs into the net for a 4-2 lead. Moments later Ward fired in another goal.

Ward turned another Suggs feed into her third goal of the night. Suggs found the back of the net again with her third goal, and Campbell blasted in a 20-yard shot for the other East Bladen goal.

“We played better and came out more focused in the second half,” said Coach Raynor. “I don’t think they had a shot on goal in the second half.”

The Lady Eagles finished with 36 shots on goals in the game, while Pender had only 5 shots on goal. Senior goalie Kathryn Cole was credited with 3 saves for East Bladen.

East Bladen had 8 corner kicks, while Pender had none.

The Lady Eagles improve to 8-1 in the league and 15-1 overall. East Bladen travels to conference leader Clinton Thursday at 6 p.m.

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