Cardinal Gibbons completes amazing turnaround, upsets Ardrey Kell to win NC 4A title

After 110-plus minutes of competition, Cardinal Gibbons goalkeeper Rhian Lawrence’s punch save of Ardrey Kell’s fourth penalty kick cemented Cardinal Gibbons’ 1-1 (4-2 PK) win in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A girls soccer championship Saturday night at Koka Booth Field in Cary.

The state title is Cardinal Gibbons’ third overall girls’ soccer crown, and first in 4A.

Lawrence, a junior basketball point guard, joined the Crusaders soccer team midway through this spring after leading Cardinal Gibbons’ hardwood hoopsters to the Cap Six 4A Conference regular season and tournament championships. Lawrence was named the conference’s basketball player of the year. Saturday, Lawrence, a first-year goalkeeper, was named the soccer state final’s MVP. The achievement, she said, extended beyond practice, for which she expressed gratitude to her teammates.

“After practice, they would always stay with me, take extra kicks, and give me tips,” Lawrence said. “That’s really what it came down to.

“When my teammates started scoring on me,” Lawrence continued, “I started to hesitate on what my plan was. I just didn’t hesitate today, and I just did what I did.”

Lawrence, who stands 5’7,” corralled 15 saves for Cardinal Gibbons (16-6-2), which won its 11th straight game. She also stopped the Purple Knights’ second penalty kick.

Lawrence became the second Crusaders junior to transition from starting basketball point guard to a defensive position on a state championship soccer team. Morgan Reid, who attended Saturday’s state final, did likewise for Cardinal Gibbons in 2013, before her College Cup soccer days at Duke. Reid’s mother, Cheryl (also in attendance Saturday) is Lawrence’s basketball coach.

“I just knew that if I put in the work that it would all start coming together,” Lawrence said, “and eventually I would get my chance.”

Lawrence has another chance to match resumes with Morgan Reid. The younger Reid surpassed 1,000 career points as a basketball senior. Lawrence needs 222 points to do likewise.

Like Lawrence’s teammates trusted her in goal, so, too, did Lawrence trust them to convert penalty kicks for Saturday’s historic milestone. Crusaders Lily Pryzwansky, Sydney Hennesen, Hailey Juhasz, and Lauren Doyle, respectively, drove shots past the end line.

“I can’t say enough about the resilience of the group,” Cardinal Gibbons coach Brian Morgan said.

“We had some tough losses at the start of the season. I think they played a huge role in how they’ve been able to deal with adversity in some of the tough moments in the playoffs. It’s been awesome to see them persevere, overcome some challenges, and win a state championship.”

Cardinal Gibbons (16-6-2) got on the board with 16:26 to play when Lily Pryzwansky lofted a high curling shot over goalkeeper Emily Casey.

But with 1:43 left in regulation, U17 national player Taylor Suarez forced overtime on a sliding goal for Ardrey Kell (25-2-1). The Purple Knights tallied a 17-4 shots on goal advantage.

Neither team could score in the remainder of regulation, nor in four overtime periods. So after 110 minutes of soccer, the teams went to penalty kicks, where Gibbons won.

Cardinal Gibbons became the first school to win state championships in three separate competitive classifications since the NCHSAA began awarding four separate titles in 2007. The Crusaders won the 2007 2A title on the same Koka Booth Field. Current Cardinal Gibbons assistant coach Leigh McGill was a starter for the school’s 2013 title team.

Ardrey Kell (25-2-1), ranked No. 3 in MaxPreps national poll, was in its fourth state final. The Purple Knights — runners-up in 2008, 2009, and 2011 — scored their first state final regulation goal among those four appearances on Saturday. Ardrey Kell had a 13-game win streak snapped despite dominating play most of the game.

PHOTOS: Ardrey Kell vs. Gibbons in soccer final

This story was originally published June 4, 2022 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Cardinal Gibbons completes amazing turnaround, upsets Ardrey Kell to win NC 4A title."