BURGAW – East Bladen’s Lady Eagles placed 6 players – Heidi Rebollar, Gabby Rebollar, Zoe Smith, Jackie Medina-Leal, Molly Evans and Reese Hester – on the All-Waccamaw Conference girls’ soccer team.
Senior Heidi Rebollar was also named the Player of the Year in the conference.
Medina-Leal, a junior forward, blistered the nets with a team-high 21 goals and dished out 10 assists. During East Bladen’s run to the 4th round of the Class 1A playoffs, Medina-Leal sometimes dominated play with her service and generated scoring opportunities according to Coach Jay Raynor. She poured in 5 goals against East Columbus, 5 goals against Spring Creek and 4 goals at Pender.
Hester, a senior goalkeeper, was a key part of the marathon 3rd round playoff win at Lejeune. The Eagles defense turned away 16 Lejeune shots in 110 minutes. Hester made a number of diving stops then stopped 2 of the 3 Lejeune penalty kicks in the shootout. She also had 7 saves in a win at White Oak.
Evans, a versatile senior, played different roles as needed for the Lady Eagles. She played a key role in the back against Lejeune. Evans also scored 8 goals and delivered 3 assists. Evans scored 2 goals against both East Columbus and New Hanover and delivered 2 assists in a win over South Columbus. She also had a goal and an assist at Pender.
Smith, a senior midfielder and defender, was a key part of the East Bladen defense on the backline. “Zoe is one of the leaders for us in the back,” said Raynor. “When Reece and her communicate and bring it, we are tough to score on. The leadership and experience that Zoe has in the back are why we are so stingy and don’t give up a lot of goals.”
With Smith and sophomore Gabby Rebollar anchoring the midfield and backline, the Lady Eagles posted 14 shutouts during the season as they compiled a 16-3-2 record. “This is arguably our best defensive group that has played in an East Bladen uniform,” stated Raynor.
Gabby Rebollar gave the Lady Eagles “a strong midfield threat from distance” according to Raynor. The powerful sophomore fired in 5 goals including 1 against Whiteville and 2 goals in a 4-0 win over South Columbus.
Heidi Rebollar Named Waccamaw Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year
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