RALEIGH -- Caroline Gentry and Madison Shaw know each another well, whether on or off the soccer field. Maybe a little too well, given what happened Monday night at Leesville Road High School.
While there were 22 players on the field, this match between Leesville Road and Wakefield was decided by two players - two friends who were waiting for a moment like this. On one side was Gentry, forward for the Pride, running toward Shaw with all her speed and the ball at her feet. And on the other there was Shaw, goalkeeper for the Wolverines, ready for Gentry's best shot.
Six times in the second half alone, Shaw won the battle, by either diving to deflect Gentry's shot or grabbing it out of the air. Overtime was different, though, as Gentry slipped past Shaw for the winning goal in the 81st minute to give Leesville Road the 2-1 victory.
"It's really fun playing against her because I know how she plays," Gentry said of Shaw. "I know I need to keep the ball low because she's very tall."
Good thing Gentry was able to exploit Shaw's weakness when she did. After an impressive 80 minutes of play, Shaw - who had 15 saves - appeared to get more confident with each save, while Gentry became more frustrated with each stop.
After all, this matchup between the players paralleled storylines for each team.
On one sideline was Leesville Road (16-0-1, 13-0 Cap Eight 4-A), the No. 1 team in the state which saw a 60-match undefeated streak end last year. The Pride also has won five consecutive conference championships. Everyone else in the Cap Eight plays for second place.
On the other end of the field was No. 11 Wakefield (12-2-3, 9-2-2), a newcomer to success in girls soccer. Leesville Road easily beat the Wolverines 5-1 a month ago.
"I think we realized it was going to take heart to win this," Gentry said. "You just have to love the game in order to finish in those kinds of games."
