HS REWIND: Hough girls soccer heading back to regional semis. Up next? Ardrey Kell
Hough High is going to the N.C. 4A girls soccer regional semifinals. Waiting for the Huskies will be 2022 N.C. 4A state finalist Ardrey Kell.
Hough got to Round 4 with a tough 2-0 win over Cox Mill at home Monday.
“That was an efficient win, is what I told my girls in the huddle,” Huskies head coach David Smith said. “I thought we did a good job of taking away the things that Cox Mill is good at.”
The scoring got going with just under 26 minutes to go in the first half when Huskies forward Kylee Thompson was able to chip one over the Chargers’ keeper, Reese DeJong.
“Their defense was really doing pretty well,” Thompson said of the Chargers’ back line. “They were just leaving the midfield a little more open. So, I just found the opportunity to cut inside and utilize that.”
The two teams’ defenses dominated the rest of the half. Neither team scored.
In the second half, Hough kept attacking, and the Huskies got their second goal off the right foot of junior forward Sarah Funderburk with 23 minutes remaining in the game. This gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead, and too far out ahead for the Chargers to catch.
The Huskies now get a shot at redemption from a playoff loss a season ago, as the Ardrey Kell Knights also won their sweet 16 game over South Mecklenburg, setting up a date with the Huskies in a battle of the six and seven seeds in the west region.
That game will be at Ardrey Kell Thursday night.
“When you get to the final eight, you’re going to play good teams,” Smith said. “We didn’t expect not to see Ardrey Kell at some point. We are excited and I know we are looking forward to going down there.”
THREE WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
Kylee Thompson, Hough: Thompson got the Huskies on the board in the first half, opening up the scoring in the game. She constantly kept the Chargers’ defense on high alert all game, as she was able to sneak behind on a few occasions leading to a few shots.
Sienna Zabek, Hough: The Huskies goalkeeper had an outstanding performance, not allowing any goals on over multiple shot attempts. Coach Smith is hoping for another great performance from his keeper against Ardrey Kell.
Reese DeJong, Cox Mill: Despite the two goals given up, DeJong was really on point in the net for the Chargers. She was on high alert often due to Hough possessing the ball for the majority of the game. She had two big saves — one in each half, preventing the Huskies’ lead from expanding further.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Cox Mill Chargers end their season with a 13-7-3 record while the Hough Huskies improve to 21-3-1 and will face Ardrey Kell on Thursday, May 25, at 7 p.m.
Scoring Summary
Hough: 1 1 — 2
Cox Mill: 0 0 — 0
H - Kylee Thompson
H - Sarah Funderburk
Charlotte well represented in Western Final 4
Three of the four teams playing in the girls’ soccer 4A state playoff quarterfinals Thursday night will be from the Charlotte area, with Ardrey Kell and Weddington joining Hough in the next round.
And six more Charlotte-area teams – two each in 3A, 2A and 1A – also won third-round matches Monday night and advanced.
Three of the teams advancing were from the Catawba Shores 1A-2A Conference. Regular-season champion Pine Lake Prep and fourth-place finisher Community School of Davidson won 2A matches Monday, and conference runner-up Christ the King beat third-place Mountain Island Charter in 1A play.
Girls’ soccer
CLASS 4A
Ardrey Kell 1, South Mecklenburg 0: A month ago, South Mecklenburg toppled Ardrey Kell in a SoMeck 4A Conference match. Monday night, the Knights (22-3-1) were the winners, as Madison Montgomery scored on an assist from Taylor Suarez. Goalkeeper Carolina McSweeney made four saves, in a game where both defenses excelled. Ardrey Kell hosts Hough in a Thursday quarterfinal.
Weddington 1, Lake Norman 0: The top-seeded Warriors (20-4) advanced to a quarterfinal match at home Thursday against Northwest Guilford. Weddington scored in the first half, with Zoe Key getting the goal on an assist from Paige Santos. The Warrior defense limited Lake Norman to five shots on goal, with Madison Motto getting the shutout.
CLASS 3A
Lake Norman Charter 2, Hibriten 0: Rylie Cook reached the 50-goal mark for the season, scoring both of the Knights’ goals. Cook has scored two or more goals in 14 matches this season, including the last seven. Lake Norman Charter (19-1-2) held the Panthers to two shots on goal, with Imani Anzaya getting the shutout. The Knights will travel to West Henderson on Thursday.
South Point 5, Enka 1: The top-seeded Warriors (20-0-3) remained unbeaten and blistered Enka with 35 shots – 18 of them on goal. Grace Smith had five shots on goal and finished with a goal and an assist. Her goal came on a penalty kick. Lexi Birtwistle also had a goal and an assist. Goalkeeper Payton Decker made four saves. South Point hosts St. Stephens, a surprise winner over Hickory, in the quarterfinals Thursday.
West Henderson 1, East Lincoln 0: The Mustangs’ state title hopes came to an end. They were able to put pressure on the West Henderson defense, but goalkeeper Ava Heffner stopped 11 East Lincoln shots. West Henderson scored midway through the first half. East Lincoln finished with a 19-5-2 record.
CLASS 2A
Community School of Davidson 8, Jay M. Robinson 0: The visiting Spartans (13-8-2) cruised, as Tyler Baughn totaled three goals and an assist. Natalie Vazzana added two goals and an assist. Community School of Davidson will travel to second-seeded and unbeaten (22-0) Wheatmore on Thursday.
Hendersonville 4, East Gaston 1: The visiting Warriors (18-2-2) fell behind 4-0 and had problems solving Hendersonville goalkeeper Laura Shelton. Maddie Somers scored the sole East Gaston goal with about 25 minutes remaining.
Pine Lake Prep 5, Forest Hills 0: The top-seeded Pride (19-1-2) kept rolling along, as Avery Garrett had a goal and two assists. Maddyson Kerley and Ansley Nixdorf each added a goal and an assist. Laila Gilmore and Fallon Reedy scored the other Pine Lake Prep goals. The Pride will host Hendersonville in the next round Thursday.
CLASS 1A
Christ the King 3, Mountain Island Charter 1: The defending 1A state champions moved along, as senior Katie Reyes had a goal and an assist and had four shots on goal. Her sister Erin, a freshman, also scored. Annie Reimels got the third goal. Elizabeth Navolta got the shutout in goal, making six saves. The Crusaders (14-2-3) will host unbeaten (22-0-1) Mount Airy in a Thursday quarterfinal.
Union Academy 4, Thomas Jefferson Academy 2: The host Cardinal (21-3) outscored the Gryphons 3-1 in the second half. Union Academy scored on four of its eight shots. The Cardinal will visit top-seeded Bishop McGuinness on Thursday.
Baseball, Softball
Best-of-three regional final series in baseball and softball begin Tuesday night for most of the state’s regional finalists.
That includes three softball series involving Charlotte-area teams.
In 4A, Marvin Ridge visits Hickory Ridge in Game 1 of their series. The teams last met in March 2022, with Hickory Ridge winning 10-1. The Ragin’ Bulls also won the teams’ only other meeting, in 2017.
In 3A, East Lincoln will be the host team against Rockingham County in Game 1. And Union Academy visits South Stokes in Game 1 of the 1A Western Regional finals.
In 2A, defending state champion West Stanly travels to West Wilkes in Game 1 Tuesday evening.
All four baseball Western Regional finals also begin Tuesday, with Northwest Guilford facing T.C. Roberson in 4A; Oak Grove meeting West Henderson in 3A; Burns facing Morehead in 2A; and Eastern Randolph playing Uwharrie Charter in 1A.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
