03/28/2024
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BURGAW – Junior Hannah Devane drilled in a penalty kick midway the first half that lifted East Bladen to a 1-0 Four County Conference girls soccer victory Friday night.

Freshman Patience Ward was pulled down in the box to give the Lady Eagles the penalty kick. Devane buried the low hard shot into the net to the keeper’s right.

“We dominated the match and stopped all their threats,” said East Bladen Coach Jay Raynor. “We out shot them 23-1 and Ting (Lin) didn’t have any saves on the night. Our midfield and front line controlled the game except for some early issues with the wind.”

“Lexi (Mendell) dominated the midfield tonight,” continued Coach Raynor. “She seemed to make play after play and looked good. She finally is back to close to 100% and it showed.”

Raynor noted that Mendell’s performance was especially important since sophmore Ashley Hardin was nursing a knee injury and that limited her to only 50-60 minutes. “Lexi, Justyna (Gargala), and Hannah all stepped in to fill her spot and did well doing so,”added Raynor. “With Ash out putting Hannah or Justyna there works, but it takes away from our attack.”

Coach Raynor also praised the play of freshmen Cybil Campbell, Patience Ward, and Gracyn Martin. “Cybil and Patience both made some plays tonight that showed they are growing and beginning to put it together,” said Raynor. “Cybil attacks the goal and loose balls well. Even hit the post on a shot late in the second half. Patience makes us extremely fast too. She has been out with an injury but seems to grow and get better everyday.”

“Cassie (Hill) and Anna Grace (Long) also had solid performances,” stated Raynor. “Both made some big plays and were able to help us transition from defending to attacking their backs pretty quickly.”

Coach Raynor concluded, “Cassidy (Davis) and Trinity (Carroll) did well in the back for us and didn’t allow runs at Ting. They had to make some 1-on-1 plays and did much better stopping those tonight. Their angles were much better then last week. “Erica Baza also played a good game. We are going through an injury and sickness spell right now. It was good to be able to fill those spots and play like we want too. Still feel like we need to put more of our chances away but at least we are getting the looks.”

The Lady Eagles improved to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in league play. East Bladen will host Heide Trask Tuesday at 5 p.m.

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