Lady Crusaders, Jackets complete soccer seasons
May 18—For Grace Christian's women's soccer team, the season ended one win short of a third straight trip to a state championship game. For Lee County, Thursday brought the conclusion of the best season in program history, as well as the greatest career ever seen by a Lady Jacket soccer player.
Lee began its program a little over a decade ago, and struggled for several years before becoming a competitive team around 2016. But this season, the Lady Jackets became a little more than that. They won more regular-season games than any other public school team in the state, finished second in the Sandhills Athletic Conference by a half-game to rival Union Pines, and then beat the Lady Vikings to win the SAC Tournament. Earlier this week, Lee won a state playoff match for the first time in school history.
But on Thursday night, Lee had to travel to play at perhaps the only 3A team in the state hotter than they had been recently. The road trip, and Wilson Hunt's All-State midfielder Cappa Bunn, were too much for the Lady Jackets, as the Warriors scored a 6-1 win and advanced to the next round of the NCHSAA 3A state playoffs.
Bunn, a four-year starter for Hunt who made the NC Soccer Coaches Association All-State team a year ago, scored four goals to help the Warriors (17-4-1) advance past Lee County, which ended its season with a record of 22-5. The Warriors, who have won 10 straight and lost only once to a 3A team this season, will host Dixon in the next round of the tournament.
For Lee County, the match was the final one in the career of Gillian Garrison, a two-time All-State striker (expected to soon be named for a third time) and the school's all-time leading scorer. Garrison will play for Campbell University next season. Also playing their final matches for Lee were fellow seniors Rebecca Velasquez, Lily Currin, Makyna Rouse, Layton Griffin and Diana Ponce. The good news for Lee is that several talented players will be back, and the Lady Jackets should be strongly competitive in the SAC again next season.
Cape Fear Academy 3, Grace Christian 0
The Lady Crusaders knew from their first trip down to Wilmington back in March that beating Cape Fear was going to be tough. Grace could not get its offense moving in Thursday's rematch, and settled for being a state semifinalist in its fourth straight trip that deep into the playoffs.
Grace, the 2022 1A state champion, followed that up with a runner-up finish as a 2A team in 2023 and now will finish third in 2024, as a 3A team.
The Lady Crusaders (12-4-1) held Cape Fear to a draw in the first half, but could not find the back of the net itself. The Hurricanes, the state's top-ranked 3A team and seeded first in the tournament, wore Grace down in the second half and scored three times.
Only three seniors finished the season with the team and Grace should be a strong contender again next season. The team bid farewell to McKensie Boyte, Claire Edwards and Serenity McNair. Edwards played five varsity seasons for the Lady Crusaders, and Boyte played in four. Both players were a part of Grace's four straight final four teams, bridging the gap from the 1A era until now.
