Clinton’s Chloe Holloman (5) looks for a teammate after stealing the ball in the midfield early in the first half of the Dark Horses’ fifth round match on Tuesday.
                                 Mike Carter | Sampson Independent

Clinton’s Chloe Holloman (5) looks for a teammate after stealing the ball in the midfield early in the first half of the Dark Horses’ fifth round match on Tuesday.

Mike Carter | Sampson Independent

<p>Clinton’s Evan Gillespie (4) battles for possession of the ball near the Mariner’s goal during first half action.</p>
                                 <p>Mike Carter | Sampson Independent</p>

Clinton’s Evan Gillespie (4) battles for possession of the ball near the Mariner’s goal during first half action.

Mike Carter | Sampson Independent

<p>Kenzy Yang (3) gets a shot off during late game action. Yang scored a late goal to insure the Clinton victory sealing a trip to the State title match on Friday.</p>
                                 <p>Mike Carter | Sampson Independent</p>

Kenzy Yang (3) gets a shot off during late game action. Yang scored a late goal to insure the Clinton victory sealing a trip to the State title match on Friday.

Mike Carter | Sampson Independent

<p>Clinton’s Ta’shawnna Green (19) out maneuvers a Mariner defender and fires a shot on goal during second half action.</p>
                                 <p>Mike Carter | Sampson Independent</p>

Clinton’s Ta’shawnna Green (19) out maneuvers a Mariner defender and fires a shot on goal during second half action.

Mike Carter | Sampson Independent

The 2A Eastern Championship, a match that had become the new Goliath for the Clinton Lady Dark Horses soccer team, befell them once again on this week. Such rich history is held by the hometown soccer program, but this game has proven time and again to be their Achilles heel. Tuesday’s match with East Carteret was Clinton’s third straight trip to the penultimate game of the NCHSAA State 2A Girls Soccer Playoffs, and as the old saying goes, “third time’s a charm.”

That charm brought the Lady Dark Horses a 3-1 victory over the Lady Mariners from Down East to finally claim a historical, program-first Eastern Championship, which punches their ticket to the State Championship game on Friday.

Just eight minutes into this fifth round tilt, East Carteret came very close to scoring an early going. The Lady Mariners sent a shot that got through and into the net but a foul erased this would-be goal, keeping things all tied up at 0-0.

Going through the rest of the first half, it felt as if the Lady Dark Horses were in control of the pace — they just could not find the back of the net. That changed, however, as the Lady Mariners were unable to out-smart Ava Williford’s strong corner kick, which just sneaked into the upper-left side of the goal. With 23:00 having ticked off in the first half, Clinton now owned a 1-0 advantage.

That score stuck through the remaining twenty minutes of the first half and the Clinton lead held at halftime.

Defense was the name of the game for a large part of this contest as the scoring was certainly held to a minimum.

Given that fact, it boded well for the the Lady Horses when they got some needed distance with around 20 minutes left in the game. Ally Sutter’s soft tap sent the ball past the reach of the Lady Mariners goalkeeper, boosting the score. Now ahead 2-0, the Clinton’s strong hometown crowd could sense that they were on the cusp of school history.

East Carteret, though, had some tricks up their sleeve and had a say in just how this game would end. A beautiful free kick cut Clinton’s advantage to 2-1. Now with 12 minutes to go, this helped make for some very tense moments down the stretch inside Dark Horses Soccer Complex.

Clinton withstood this new, sudden pressure and even managed to snag another goal with literally just seconds remaining, courtesy of Kenzy Yang. As all zeros donned the clock with a 3-1 score, the Lady Dark Horses and their fans were jubilant with finally getting over the storied fifth round hurdle.

“Our defense was good, but at moments it seemed like we were struggling offensively,” said Clinton head coach Jeff Smith. “However, the girls did what they had to do.”

Looking ahead to the state title match against Wheatmore, Smith says they’ll try to keep their preparation as normal as possible.

“We will come out and train just like it is another game. That’s all you can do. Wheatmore is really, really good, so we will definitely have our hands full.”

Clinton enters the title game with a 25-2 record, going unbeaten in conference during the season. They are on a 22-match winning streak. The Horses have outscored opponents 183-21 on the season.

Wheatmore, out of Trinity, enters the contest with a perfect record at 24-0, including sweeping their own conference 12-0. The Warriors have outscored opponents 191-15 on the season.

The state championship game is scheduled to go down on Friday at 7 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park, Field No. 2. Entry to the event is $10.

Reach Sports Editor Daron Barefoot at [email protected].