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Photo by Christopher Lugo/Staff The Lady Highlanders break it down after their historic win against Elkin, Thursday night.
The Highlands School Lady Highlander varsity girls’ soccer team made history Thursday night, being the only girls’ soccer team in the school’s history to make it to the third round of the NCHSAA State Playoffs after a 5-2 win against Elkin High School.
“Our team played amazing,” head coach Caleb Brown said. “They played smart and calculated. It was an extremely physical and rough game. They had a great attitude. What happens on the field, stays on the field. There’s always some jawing and jabbing and stuff like that, but they did what they had to do. They played smart and played as a team. That’s what we are trying to teach; honor, integrity, win with grace, you shake hands at the end of the game, you get the goals, you get the win and you go home at the end of the day.”
Things got started quick with a shot from Addie Westendorf on the right side of the Elkin 18-yard box, but the shot went wide.
Elkin then followed up with a shot inside the Highlands’ 18-yard box that went wide left.
With 35:20 left in the first half, Gabriela Diaz chased down a through ball and took a shot on goal, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper. The Elkin keeper could not hold on to the ball and Reese Schmitt followed up to knock it in and go up 1-0.
Right after the goal, Elkin had a hard shot, but it was blocked by Highlands’ goalkeeper Ava Schmitt.
With 28:21 left in the half, Elkin had a through ball and snuck it past Ava Schmitt, taking the goalkeeper out afterwards, but the goal stood, tying the game at 1-1.
Right after kickoff, Elkin pressured the Highlands box again, but the shot went wide right.
Gabriela Diaz then connected with Hayley Borino for a shot, but it went over the goal.
A corner set up a shot by Borino that went over the goal.
With 17:30 left in the first half, Reese Schmitt connected with Gabriela Diaz, who slipped the ball past the Elkin goalkeeper to go up 2-1.
Reese Schmitt kept things going for the Lady Highlanders with a shot on goal, and Addie Westendorf followed up with a shot that went wide right.
With 11:50 to go in the half, EHS had a direct kick outside the 18-yard box, but the kick went straight to Highlands’ keeper Ava Schmitt.
Elkin kept their hopes alive after the ball bounced around in the Highlands penalty area, before it was poked inside the goal to even things at 2-2.
Ava Schmitt had another big save before the end of the half and Borino had another attempt that went wide right.
The Lady Highlanders came out of the halftime break strong, when Gabby Diaz connected with Reese Schmitt who bent the ball around the Elkin keeper to go up 3-2.
The Buckin’ Elks kept things going with 33:17 left in the game, but the shot went wide left.
Gabriela Diaz had another shot for the Lady Highlanders that was blocked, but Hayley Borino followed up to increase the lead 4-2.
With 15 minutes left in the game, the Lady Highlanders had another solid opportunity after a handball in the box set up a penalty kick for Gabriela Diaz. The penalty was blocked so the game remained at 4-2.
To end the scoring effort with 6:43 left in the game, Reese Schmitt hit a hard shot at the corner of the 18-yard box to make it 5-2.
Reese Schmitt ended the game with a hattrick.
“Last year, we were undefeated, but this feels so much better,” Brown said. “We were out in the first-round last year and now we have gotten to the third round. This is a team, where if they play their game, I think they can go really far. They will go really far in the playoffs, but they also will go really far in life. They all have great character.”
With the win, the Lady Highlanders improved to 14-4-1 on the season.
They ended their season in the third round on Tuesday against Christ the King with a 7-1 defeat.
- By Christopher Lugo