Carrboro girls soccer shuts out Beddingfield in second round of playoffs
It’s May, which means it’s time for the Carrboro girls soccer team to make its annual march through the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A playoffs.
The Jaguars have won two of the past four state championships, and coach Jared Drexler’s 2016 team looks primed to compete for another trophy to add to a full trophy case.
Carrboro moved one step closer to that title Saturday night when they defeated the visiting Beddingfield Bruins 9-0 in the second round.
Carlisle Mills, a freshman midfielder, scored the ninth goal with 1:48 left to give the Jags their second mercy-rule win in these playoffs.
“I thought this was the best team effort we’ve had all year,” Drexler said. “I really thought that everybody who went in contributed somehow, and individually, we had some standout performances, but as a team, I was just really impressed.”
Some of those individuals with standout performances include Alexa Wojnovich, who scored the Jags second, fifth and sixth goals, and Miah Araba, who scored the team’s third and fourth goals.
The Bruins didn’t put up much of a fight playing against a much more talented Carrboro (17-1-2) team. Goalie Caesaria Simmons faced a barrage of shots and, to her credit, stayed poised and made saves when she could.
Beddingfield finished the season with an 8-9-1 record, including one win in the playoffs.
Carrboro is looking for a deep tournament run to follow up on last year’s state championship. Drexler said the team’s biggest takeaway from last year’s run is not to take any team lightly.
“We just can’t take anybody for granted,” he said. “We have a huge target on our back. Everybody knows about Carrboro and what we did last year. Everyone is going to step up their game because they want to come in here and beat us.”
The Jaguars are on a roll and are peaking at the right time in May. Carrboro last lost a game on March 16 to Chapel Hill and last tied a game on April 8, again to the Tigers. Since those two games were against a bitter rival, the Jags have been perfect. They have been helped by getting some players back from injuries to add to an already strong team.
“We had some injuries early in the year and we are starting to get healthy,” Drexler said. “You can see we are starting to develop that chemistry that you need right about now. It’s a good time to start really hitting your stride.”
Carrboro will host Midway High of Spivey’s Corner in the third round.
“We are taking it round by round,” Drexler said. “I’d love to say ‘we are going to win it all,’ and that’s the goal, but we are really just focused for the next game.”
This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 9:43 PM with the headline "Carrboro girls soccer shuts out Beddingfield in second round of playoffs."