After going undefeated in the regular season and capturing the DAC-VII conference title, the women’s soccer team had its season end in heartbreaking fashion with an overtime loss to top-seeded Ashley High School in the semifinals of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs on May 30.
The Tigers pulled ahead of Ashley after junior Audrey Yazejian found the back of the net in the second half of the semifinal match and held the Screaming Eagles scoreless until the final minute of the game, when the Tigers were called for a handball in the penalty box.
Ashley scored on the penalty kick to send the game into overtime, and the Screaming Eagles netted another goal two minutes into the overtime period, ending the Tigers’ season.
The team cruised to victories in the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating Southern Alamance 9-0, Jordan High School 5-1 and Willow Spring 8-0. The Tigers’ victory against Willow Spring marked head coach Jason Curtis’s 300th win as the men’s and women’s soccer coach.
The Tigers then defeated Hoggard High School 2-1 in the quarterfinal match on May 25 to propel them into the semifinal match.
The Tigers finished the season with a final record of 22-1-2, going 12-0 in conference play.
“We won a lot of games; the girls had fun. I couldn’t really ask for much more than that,” head coach Jason Curtis said.
Senior midfielder Sofia Canoutas-Nadel was named DAC-VII conference player of the year, after tallying eight goals and 12 assists, while captain and senior goalkeeper Kitty Pope won conference goalkeeper of the year after recording with five shut-outs.
Senior forward Jane Rydin led the team with 17 goals, and seniors Bridget McMahon and Canoutas-Nadel led the team in assists with 12.
The Tigers were led by a veteran squad that featured seven seniors in the starting lineup.
“Having basically the same team as last year and a pretty deep bench made it super exciting! We had got a great group of girls all super bonded and trusting of one another. I couldn’t ask for a better team to play with. We’re all best friends,” Pope said.
The team’s experience and camaraderie propelled the team to a standout season.
“We were very focused and determined on keeping our standards high. The team dynamic was super strong, and everyone worked really well together,” McMahon said.
Curtis is optimistic that next year’s squad will be similarly competitive.
“We lose seven starters, but at the same time, we have the juniors who started and then a couple others who got good minute, so we’ll have a good core to build around for next year,” he said.
