The Lady Dark Horses continued their playoff sweep this Monday with a 8-0 win against South Granville’s Lady Vikings.
Lady Dark Horse Taylor Spell scored the game’s first goal eight minutes into the first half, assisted by senior Reagan Barefoot. Spell continued her conquest with a goal just four minutes later with fellow freshman Olivia Williford supporting the assist — the scoreboard sloped notably early on, a 2-0 advantage for the defending home team with just twelve minutes on the clock.
Things then quickly heated up as Clinton piled on two more goals.
Although the Lady Vikings couldn’t manage to break through Clinton’s hardened protective line, their determined offensive front kept up the tempo throughout the first half of the game.
Clinton senior Shakira Oseguera, assisted by freshman Kayla Yang, however, scored the first half’s final goal for a 5-0 advantage moving into the second half.
The Lady Dark Horses’ resolve tempered in those last minutes of the game, up against the hard defensive strategy of South Granville, but they came through with a trio of goals to close out the match with an 8-0 victory.
“We played a better first half,” said Coach Jeff Smith. “That first half is how we’ve got to play games going forward.”
And going forward they are. With this win under their belt, the Lady Dark Horses now move on to the third round of the 2A Women’s Soccer Championships. It’s an exciting prospect for the team, whose season thus far has set them apart as a force to be reckoned with in their division.
Smith expressed this succinctly: “It is exciting. They’re a great group of players, and it’s going to be a great game.”
Taylor Spell was a force in Monday’s game, recording four of Clinton’s eight goals. Barefoot, Oseguera, Williford and Yang were responsible for the other four goals. Williford and Barefoot also recorded two assists apiece. Jessica Parker, Katey Yang and Kayla Yang all contributed one assist each.
This win adds to Clinton’s ongoing stellar overall record, which now stands at 21-1-2. Their third round opponent, the Lady Bulldogs of Durham School of the Arts, will make the trip to Clinton on Wednesday night.
Although her team wasn’t able to score against the Lady Dark Horses, South Granville’s goalkeeper Alexys Pardo’s speed safeguarding the net and quick defensive reflexes was a bright spot for the Lady Vikings. Their season closes now with an overall record of 12-7-1.