Wheatmore finishes undefeated season with 2A girls soccer title after win over Clinton
Wheatmore's state-record setting girls soccer team will go down as an undefeated and untied state champion.
The Warriors captured the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A girls soccer championship on Friday night at WakeMed Soccer Park's Koka Booth Stadium in their patented electric fashion.
Well before its 4-1 win over Clinton, Wheatmore had already broken the old state mark of 184 goals in a season, set by East Forsyth in 1988. Wheatmore finished with 195.
And to boot, Wheatmore sophomore Ellie Garrison ends the year high atop the record books as well, scoring her 77th goal of the year to finish as second all-time behind only Woods Charter's Isabel Pearce, who scored 80 in 2017.
"All the talent that each player has, coming together and working together as a team and having this friendship we have on and off the field, I think it's helped and made us want more and need more," Garrison said.
Through the first half, Wheatmore (25-0) dominated possession, peppered the net with shots, and won what seemed like every 50-50 ball en route to a 2-0 at halftime lead.
The Warriors struck first thanks to a 24th-minute score from Garrison, who found herself all alone from 30 yards away and picked out the left side of the goal, and doubled the lead with Appalachian State recruit Summer Bowman, whose rocket from close-range gave the keeper no chance to slow it down despite getting gloves on it.
Bowman, who played a big role in Wheatmore's domination of possession, ended the game with two goals and the MVP award.
"It's been an amazing season. It's just an honor to be on this team," Bowman said. "We knew they were going to be a good team but we were like 'We've got this far we're not going to lose. We're going to get here and take it home.' So we just went at it."
But Clinton (25-3), which had won 22 in a row entering the contest, wasted no time in the second half to turn things around.
The Dark Horses sent in a cross that was nearly headed back for an own goal, but as the keeper covered it up, the ball squirted away and to the feet of Kenzy Yang, who toed it over the goal mouth.
"We knew we laid a goose egg in the first half so we knew we had to come out and do a little bit better," Clinton coach Jeff Smith said. "It had its moments, but it kind of fell into the same pattern. ... (Wheatmore) doesn't miss their chances, I'll give them that."
Clinton's chances were all but done once it had to go one player down in the 70th minute, as Sophia Jackson picked up her second yellow card.
There were two more goals in the final five minutes.
In the 75th minute, Bowman's second goal was scored on a one-timer following a long ball from Garrison.
In the 79th, Kara Comer got into the act, firing in a high shot from 35 yards out to make it 4-1.
"These girls knew (they) wanted to be the first at our school as a team and in our county and so the fire kept getting brighter and brighter," Wheatmore coach Ricky Maness said. "They took it and ran with it and I just watched and enjoyed it. They're a special group of young ladies."
Clinton missed a penalty with 30 seconds left, closing out the Dark Horses' season. Clinton's only other losses came to 3A Swansboro and 4A Topsail early in the season.
Before the game, Ta'Shawnna Green of Clinton and Kylie Biggs of Wheatmore were named their respective team's NCHSAA sportsmanship award winners.
