The Union High Lady Spartans are headed to the second round of the NCHSAA 2A Women’s Soccer state playoffs after a dominant 5-1 home victory over the Seahawks of Southside High School Monday night.
Led by a hat trick from senior standout Aileen Serrano, Union controlled the match from start to finish, building a 2-0 halftime lead before erupting offensively in the second half.
The Lady Spartans wasted little time finding momentum as Marlene Sanchez scored the opening goal to give Union an early 1-0 advantage. Moments before halftime, Serrano found the back of the net for the first time on the night, extending the lead to 2-0 heading into the break.
Union continued to apply pressure throughout the second half.
Midway through the period, Evelin Alvelez added another score to push the Lady Spartans ahead 3-0.
Serrano struck again with 13 minutes remaining, extending the lead to 4-0 before completing her hat trick with another goal with nine minutes left in regulation.
Southside avoided the shutout late in the contest when team captain Eliza Jones scored with approximately 5:30 remaining, making the final score 5-1.
Union head coach Daniel Rishworth said hosting and winning a home playoff game was another important step in continuing to build the program’s culture.
“With the new playoff format and the byes, it gives you an advantage to host in the second round,” Rishworth explained. “But honestly, just to get out here and say, ‘Hey, look, this is the state playoff. We’re ready to go. We made it. We worked hard all season.’ I think we’re building a culture here.”
Rishworth praised his team’s resilience throughout a season filled with adversity, noting the Lady Spartans were forced to rely on their third goalkeeper during the playoff win.
“They’ve been through a lot this year,” he stated. “I’ve asked so much of them and they’ve exceeded expectations. They are some of the toughest, most respectful, smartest soccer players I’ve ever seen.”
Serrano said the emotions of senior year helped fuel her performance in what could potentially be her final game on Union’s home field.
“We’ve been talking about the playoffs for a while,” Serrano reflected. “Over the weekend, I was just thinking, this is my last year and this is the moment where I get to make stuff happen for the last time. I was determined to make at least a few goals.”
Beyond the stat line, Serrano said the relationships and personal growth developed through the program have meant the most during her time with the Lady Spartans.
“I’ve grown with these girls,” she said. “They made me a better person with leadership and taught me how to be patient. I’m going to miss my girls when I leave, but I hope they take this season and keep pushing forward.”
Southside head coach Jay Petty commended his team’s fight despite injuries and roster challenges throughout the season.
“I’ll give that to our girls,” Petty said. “That’s one thing they’ve done all year long. We’ve struggled from time to time, had injuries, and were missing key players tonight, but they came out and played as hard as they could for the full 80 minutes. They never quit.”
Petty also highlighted the play and leadership of junior goalkeeper Yoseline Hernandez, who battled through equipment issues during the match while continuing to encourage her teammates.
“She did an outstanding job tonight,” Petty remarked. “She’s really grown into that position. She communicates with the backline, encourages them, gets them in the right spots and makes serious saves when we need her to.”
The Southside coach also took time to recognize seniors Jackie Juarez, Katelyn Tello and Jadyn Schafer, along with team manager Molly West.
“They’ve been an integral part of what we’re doing,” Petty said. “They’ve been a blessing to me and my coaching staff. They gave everything they had every single day.”
Union travels Thursday to Voyager Academy near Durham, playing a team that has historically had strong programs. Rishworth doesn’t allow that notion to cloud the team’s focus.
“It’s the playoffs,” Rishworth said. “Anybody can get got on any night. Stats don’t matter anymore. We’re going to go in and do our best.”