Highlands ended the girl’s soccer regular season in style on April 29 with a 3-1 win over Murphy to cap a perfect 10-0 campaign in the Smoky Mountain Conference.
Unfortunately for the Highlanders, the postseason ended in the opening round of the NC High School Athletic Association 1-A playoffs on Monday night when Lincoln Charter handed the home team its first loss 4-0.
“In the playoffs, especially this year, you never know what kind of first round matchup you are going to get,” Highlands Athletic Director Brett Lamb said. “We were seeded third based on who the other conference champions were in the West bracket. Lincoln Charter didn’t win their conference so they were a wild card team and that’s how we drew them in round one.”
A flat tire on the team bus caused Lincoln Charter to arrive just 10 minutes before the scheduled game time of 6 p.m. After a shortened warmup, the visitors hit the pitch at an energetic pace.
Highlands keeper Allison Dayton made a pair of key early saves to keep the score at 0-0, but a breakaway by Lincoln Charter forward Abby Schultz got the visitors on the board late in the first half. The Eagles kept the pressure on throughout the game and tallied three additional goals.
With the win, Lincoln Charter (8-3 overall) advanced to play Community School of Davidson on Wednesday.