The #5 seeded Halifax Academy women's soccer team advances to Saturday's NCISAA 1A State Championship match by advancing over #9 seed Hickory Christian in penalty kicks by a score of 4-3 Tuesday night at Halifax.
The Lady Vikings gutted out 110 minutes of play, ending with the score tied 3-3.
"This was a tough, tough win for our girls, stated Lady Viking head coach Tim George. "We didn't play our prettiest of matches, but when it came down to it with the match on the line, the girls showed the heart and perseverance this team has played with all year, George added.
"We played about 4 different formations tonight with players in spots they typically don't play in and had to adjust as the match went on due to injuries and just plain exhaustion, said George. "Towards the end of the match in the 3rd and 4th overtime, we basically played to get to penalty kicks just by hunkering down on the defensive side of the field, he added.
George also stated "Thankfully the strategy worked and we got to put the match on the line with the five girls taking kicks and our goalie Jordan Strickland stepping up huge. Our girls had been preparing to take kicks and it paid off with Maddie Suiter, Brittany Milan and Whitney George scoring, while Jordan saved a kick as well as Hickory missing goal twice to allow for Halifax to advance.
Goals in the match for Halifax were scored by Whitney George with two and an assist and Abby George with a goal and an assist.
With the win, the #5 seed Halifax (15-5) team advances to the NCISAA 1A State Championship to be played on Saturday May 20th, at 4pm at Campbell University against #2 seed Kerr-Vance Academy (17-3).
Halifax split with Kerr-Vance during the 2017 regular season. "Hopefully these girls have a little magic left in them on Saturday afternoon," said George.
Match photos by Randy Wrenn
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