Highlands nearly pulled off a stunning upset.
Only a literal last-minute goal ended the rally and sent Mount Airy into the third round of the NC High School Athletic Association 1-A state playoffs on Thursday night.
The Granite Bears tallied the game-winning goal in the final minute of overtime and claimed a 4-3 victory on their home pitch.
“Our girls played great and they have a lot to be proud of,” Highlands interim head coach Jeff Weller said. “We were the 14 seed coming into the playoffs, and Mount Airy was the 3 seed. Obviously, they are a very good team and we gave them everything we had for 100 minutes.”
Weller noted that Highlands had its chances to pull out the victory but never got the right bounce at the right time.
“Overall, it was a very even game between two similar teams,” Weller said. “We’d have a scoring chance and they would counter with a chance. In the end, they got the last good look and they converted.”
Highlands finished the season with a 13-6-0 record which included tying for first place in the Smoky Mountain 1-A Conference with Swain County. The Maroon Devils won the tiebreaker and thus earned the league’s top seed in the playoffs.
Swain was also eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night following a 2-1 loss on penalty kicks to Cornerstone Charter School.
Mount Airy then defeated Cornerstone Charter on Saturday. The Granite Bears are 22-0-1 on the season.