The Blue Ridge Bobcats took a 1-0 loss in Monday’s senior night game against Hayesville.
Both teams showed strong defense throughout the first half. Neither team scored during the first 40 minutes, but Hayesville finally connected with 19 minutes left in the second half.
With around 14 minutes left in the second half, Blue Ridge nearly scored but the ball hit the goal post. Blue Ridge ramped up attacks with 10 minutes in the half, but two consecutive shots on the goal were blocked.
Some heads lowered on the sidelines after the loss, but the show must go on.
“It happens,” coach Nick Pressler told the girls after the game. “We win as a team, we lose as a team.”
Families gathered around the sidelines as the Bobcats celebrated the three graduating seniors, who were also the first group to play soccer all four years of high school.
Jenny Contreras Mendoza plans to go to school to become an OBGYN. Her advice to the younger players was to attack the ball instead of it coming to you. Kimberly Rodriguez plans to go to WCU and study accounting. Her advice to younger students was to always put themselves in others’ shoes before judging them or speaking. Abigail Corona plans to attend Southwestern Community College and then study to be a paralegal. She encouraged players to remain humble and to savor each passing moment.
The Bobcats thanked head coach Pressler, Coach McCall for driving buses, and team manager Miguel Juan, along with the players and fans.
The Bobcats’ season concludes May 7 in an away game at Cherokee.
Highlands 5, Blue Ridge 0
Highlands’ varsity girls soccer won 5-0 at Blue Ridge last week.
The Lady Highlanders held a strong grip during the first half. Four of their points came during this period, the first score around five minutes in and their next coming closer to the middle of the half.
Gabby Diaz led the night with two goals and one assist, Aislynn Wyatt Luck had one goal and assist, Olivia Corbin and Nicole Taylor each scored a goal, and Charlotte Westendorf helped push the team along with two assists.
Part of Highlands’ success may be attributed to teamwork and communication on the field. The girls constantly alerted each other about their intentions and the location of the ball. Coach Caleb Brown said this is something the team has improved at over the season.
“They’ve started playing really well as a team together,” Brown said. “At the beginning of the season, we weren’t always talking and moving the ball around. We’ve stressed small passes and letting our team mates know when we want the ball and when we’re giving it up.”
The shut down brought the Highlanders to a 10-4 season, or 8-1 in their conference.