Clinton’s Jenna Jackson zeros in on the ball as she strikes a shot that found the back of the goal late in first half action.
Clinton will hit road for second round match
Bella Boney fires a shot for Clinton’s eighth goal of the first half, extending the Dark Horse lead to 8-1 at the break.
The opening round of the NCHSAA 2A Soccer State Playoffs got underway on Monday night. Locally, the Clinton Lady Dark Horses drew the No. 10 seed and hosted No. 23 seed North Pitt. Clinton dominated this first round game, tallying a 10-1 victory to triumph into the second round on Thursday.
Several players got into the score column for the Lady Dark Horses with many getting multiple goals. Sophia Jackson got the hat trick, getting three goals and an assist. Ava Williford had two goals and three assists and Jenna Jackson had two goals and two assists. Kenzy Yang had two goals and Bella Boney had one goal.
“It’s always good to get the first round out of the way and get the nerves out,” said Clinton coach Adam Smith. Next up for the Lady Dark Horses is a long road trip over to East Carteret, who is the No. 7 seed in the east.
“We’re going to have to play our best,” said Smith of the round two matchup. “We’re going to have to move the ball like we’re supposed to. We’re going to have to bring a lot of energy because now that this journey has started it’s do or die,” he concluded.
Clinton is definitely sailing in uncharted waters for their storied program. It’s a rare occurrence that the Lady Dark Horses hit the road this early into the postseason. At 14-10 overall, they’ll look to take down the Lady Mariners, who are 14-2-4 overall and champions of the Coastal Plains 1A/2A Conference. East Carteret routed South Lenoir in the opening round on Monday, getting a 9-0 victory to set the stage for Thursday night’s matchup.