Gators upend Golden Falcons, 2-1, on soccer pitch

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on March 13, 2015 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

cellis@newsargus.com

SEVEN SPRINGS -- Some of the Spring Creek players sat around in a circle after the game, laughing with one another. As both teams filed off the field, a group of them stayed on, receiving additional medical attention.

Even with ice packs applied to their heads or cramps rubbed out of their calves, the Lady Gators couldn't help but smile.

Nothing could take away this win -- a 2-1 defeat of county foe Charles B. Aycock on Thursday afternoon.

The Lady Gators were outplayed for much of the 1st half, but jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute after scoring directly off a corner kick. Junior midfielder Madison Harkay hit the ball from the left flag and watched as it curled in, untouched, to the back of the net.

For the rest of the half, the Lady Gators sat back and defended wave after wave of pressure from the Golden Falcons. Kaitlyn Sullivan, SC's starting keeper, saved two breakaway shots within four minutes of each other.

Sullivan finished with 10 saves on the day.

"She did a great job today," Spring Creek coach Carlos Borda said. "I thought she made four or five saves that were especially great."

The Golden Falcons eventually got one shot past Sullivan.

Three minutes into the second half, Aycock got on the board with the equalizer. Sabrina Johnson received a pass, turned and fired a shot from right outside the box. Sullivan misjudged the height and over ran the ball when she came out to catch.

Johnson's shot went through her gloves and into the net.

Spring Creek didn't take long to score, though.

In the 51st minute, Spring Creek forward Rheanna Reid -- who was the Gators' best player on the field -- made a quick cut inside the box before firing a shot into the back corner of the net.

The game settled down after Reid's goal, with both teams primarily playing at midfield. It was a discouraging game for an Aycock team that expected to play much better.

"We don't have any girls that can kick a ball over the top or with any distance," Aycock coach Byron Adkins said. "They had two or three and it showed today. It's disappointing because I thought we were better than that, but we are what we are."

On the other side, the win over a much larger 3-A school is a major confidence booster for a Spring Creek team with plans to make noise in 1-A this season.

"We've been working for three weeks now, and the girls have been doing a very good job," Borda said. "The girls have been doing a very good job working as a team, and that was reflected in today's game... I was really excited by what they did today."

Spring Creek returns home March 20 against Hobbton. Aycock opens Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play at home Tuesday against New Bern.