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Lady Devil Karena Cline battles for the ball at Monday’s playoff game. -
Lady Devil Cora Watkins faces off against an opposing team member at Monday’s game.
Larry Griffin
lgriffin@thesmokymountaintimes.com
The Lady Devils soccer team is now the number one seed in the Smoky Mountain Conference for playoffs after beating Highlands 2-0 on Thursday night, May 11. Then, they rose higher in the ranks of the championships with a 9-0 victory over North Rowan on Monday, May 15.
On Thursday, Swain and Highlands were co-conference champions, and the game would determine who got the higher seed placing in the playoffs. The Lady Devils got the number six seed while Highlands got 14th after Thursday’s game.
The game was an energized one, with the ball going just about everywhere as the players kicked it – there were goal shots made, the ball soared over the fence and into the bleachers, and it hit the sides of the fence and seated players.
On the field, both teams zig-zagged across the green at rapid speed as both knew what was at stake. There were a few clashes and tussles between players as the ball lay in the balance.
The first half of the game went without much scoring, with the end of the half seeing sophomore Karena Cline take a corner kick that bounced out to Anna Gray, who faked a shot, instead passing it to Mya Burrows-Kurr. Burrows-Kurr lined up for a shot and instead passed it back to Cline. Cline took the shot from outside the 18, which soared over the goalkeeper’s head, giving the Lady Devils a 1-0 score at that point.
The second half saw some more battles between the teams. Burrows-Kurr, with 20 minutes left, took a throw-in to Cline, who then took another shot from outside the 18, scoring again.
That was the final time either team scored and it gave the Lady Devils their 2-0 win, Head Coach Scott Cline said.
“We played a complete game last night,” he said. “We challenged the players to have their best game of the season and we were firing on all cylinders in that game. Highlands has a fast skilled team, but we came into the game mentally prepared and with confidence.”
Gray led defense with 14 clears/steals, and Sophie Matz got seven while Elke Reinert and Emmie Fuller got three each.
Matz was the player of the game, with Cline saying she “really stepped up her play in the middle of the field.
“She not only played well defensively, but she also did a great job of distributing the ball,” he said.
9-0 mercy rule win
Monday’s game was a lively one, with several confrontations between the two teams as they fought for the ball.
Swain was on the offense, though, keeping the ball hovering around the opponents’ goal area. The first goal came around 10 minutes into the first half, as Emmie Fuller found Cora Watkins on the run, and Watkins scored with a shot over the goalkeeper’s head.
Mya Burrows-Kurr scored several times in the first half, gliding past the opposition and making decisive kicks. By the end of the game, she had 25 goals scored, putting her number one in that category in the Smoky Mountain Conference. In addition, Karena Cline is number 1 in assists in the conference and at the 1A level in the state, having 29 assists so far.
The first half ended with the score at 6-0 after further goals from Burrows-Kurr as well as Izzy Walker.
In the second half, further goals from Watkins and Karena Cline would help to widen the Devils’ lead.
The Lady Devils won with a mercy rule win, and Scott Cline said the team “did a great job throughout the game of moving the ball around the field. They found the open passes and were able to advance the ball really well.”