ELIZABETHTOWN – Junior Maya McDonald poured in a ‘Hat Trick’ plus 2 of 5 goals Wednesday night to lead East Bladen to a 7-0 victory over South Columbus in the 2nd round of the NCHSAA Class 2A Girls Soccer State Playoffs.
Coash Jay Raynor’s Lady Eagles improve to 14-0 and will host Carrboro Friday at 6 p.m. in a Class 2A Eastern Regional semifinal game.
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Photos by Kenneth Armstrong
Neither team could crack the scoring column for the first 31 minutes of play. “South Columbus came out hard and took it to us the first 20 or so minutes,” said Raynor. “We weren’t flat or necessarily playing bad, they just wanted it and pressured us to make some plays that were uncharacteristic of ourselves. The game was back and forth for the first 20-30 minutes. We had some chances but they did a great job of limiting Maya’s runs and looks at goal.”
Raynor explained, ‘They had decided to mark her man to man and as soon as she got the ball drop 2 extra defenders immediately in case she got free. We figured they would make some adjustments and layering the backline was one of them.
“We countered by moving Maya left which forced their outside right back to mark Maya rather than No. 6,” continued Raynor. “That also forced 6 to lose sight of Maya and anytime Maya picked, she was having to run at Maya while Maya was running at her. It also made a fairly large gap on the left for Katie (Evans) to make her runs into as well as play balls into Maya.
“That adjustment changed the game and it was a matter of time before Maya got some better looks as well as the rest of our girls,” noted Raynor. “That resulted in more corners and chances for us to put shots on goal.”
The scoring drought ended in the 32nd minute when sophomore Acee Campbell banged in a rebound. “It was a relief and much needed,” said Raynor. Four minutes later McDonald picked up a ball and ran past the South Columbus defense to fire in her first goal of the game and put the Lady Eagles up 2-0 at halftime.
“Going into halftime 2-0 was huge,” stated Raynor. “Gave us some breathing room and we were able to regroup mentally and tactically. Playing someone for the third time is difficult. Playing a team like South Columbus made it even more challenging because they come at you and never quit for the entire 80 minutes.”
Four minutes into the second half, McDonald found the back of the net again for a 3-0 lead. “That really got our girls going,” noted Raynor. “All of a sudden our intensity changed and we were making more plays. We kept the pressure on and the game stayed on their end. We pressed their goal kicks and took away their options. That gave us more looks on goal and resulted in the next few goals.”
McDonald turned a feed from Katie Evans into her third goal of the game with 16 minutes remaining. “We were able to jump their kickoff, and Maya beat their backline to score her fourth goal with 10:31 to play,” said Raynor.
Sara Gargala intercepted the Lady Stallions on the next kickoff and served a ball to McDonald who scored again with 10:13 to play. “That was the dagger,” noted Raynor. “Those 2 goals in 18 seconds.”
Sophomore Cydney Campbell knocked in the final Lady Eagle goal with 6 minutes remaining. “Cydney did a great job of crashing the goal,” said Raynor. “Great effort and desire to make something happen right there. She was aggressive and made a play.
“Extremely proud of the girls,” said Raynor. “They continue to amaze me with their maturity and belief in each other. The things I hear and experience on the sidelines with them gives me goose-bumps. They love to compete and play for each other. It’s special. There is no doubt that that’s a huge part of the reason for their success and the history they have made. They have taken this program to new heights and want to continue to do so come Friday.”
East Bladen outshot South 13-3 in the opening half and 23-6 for the game.
“Have to praise Lily (Lin) who came up big for us tonight,” stated Raynor. “South has continued to get better over the season and we knew they would throw more numbers forward. Lily was forced to make 4 huge saves for us tonight. Merritt (Martin), Zoe (Smith), and Molly (Evans) once again came up big with stops that looked promising for South Columbus,”
Raynor praised his leaders, “Maya is unbelievable with her speed, strength, and ball skills. There are some shots that I know she wished she could go back and do again but she still put five in the back of the net.
“Katie, Sara, and Acee had huge games in the midfield,” continued Raynor. “Even when we weren’t functioning like we should, they made plays. They never stopped working. Our attack is generated because of their ability to not only win but dominate the midfield. Katie continues to be our motor and Sara’s communication as well as leadership drives the midfield.”
Raynor praised the Lady Stallions, “They gave us all we wanted today. The final score doesn’t reflect how close the game was at times. I feel them playing 4 overtimes Monday probably had their legs a little heavy. The longer the game went the more things started going our way. They battled and played until the final whistle. They have a lot to be proud of.
“Hats off to my girls,” concluded Raynor. “They battled a common opponent for the third time, got another playoff win, and did so as a shutout. That’s huge. These girls continue to take this team and our program to another level.”
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