It only took one half of play for Swain girls’ soccer to notch 11 goals and seal a senior night victory over Cherokee on Monday. It was the final home game for Isabelle Green, Kate Poss, and goalie Maddie Lay. Poss and Green, playing in her first regular season game of the season, both scored goals.
“There were three seniors in this class, and they all are major components to the program,” said Head Coach Scott Cline. “They played a major role in the conference championship two years ago. Isabelle has been injured, was injured in a scrimmage at the beginning of the season, and last night was the first game she played in.”
Kaylee Simmons netted four goals and Mazie Helpman two for the Lady Devils. Freshman Anna Gray and junior Emily Ulaner also scored. Cline noted that the balanced attack on full display Monday has been the team’s modus operandi all season.
“This year has been kind of interesting because we have had so many injuries,” he said. “This year is one of those years where everybody has played in just about every game, just because we had so many injuries and not as many players as normal due to COVID.”
Cline said with Green’s return, his team is hitting its stride at just the right time, should Highlands prevail as expected and the team finds itself in control of its own destiny.
“She was number one in the state of North Carolina at the 1A level two years ago in assists, so it has kind of hurt us not having her this season, but she was able to get cleared yesterday,” Cline said of his returning star. “She came out and played, scored a goal on a header, and had an assist also. She’s a really good player.”
The postseason picture is still forming for Swain. Should the Lady Devils defeat Hayesville on Wednesday night, they will await the result of the Highlands-Murphy game to determine their fate. Should Highlands win, Swain will play a single-game tiebreaker against Murphy on Friday for a chance to advance to the playoffs. Should Murphy upset the undefeated Highlanders, Swain’s season will be over.
Regardless, the Lady Devils proved they are a team to contend with in this short season. Standing at third in conference right now, the team’s overall record is 6-3.