Photos by lexingtonhswildcats.com – Lexington’s Anna Bart (4) and Adriana Dunat (11).
By Thomas Grant Jr.
Both Lexington soccer teams are battling for first place in Region 4-5A in the final week of the regular season.
Despite a 1-0 home loss to Chapin on March 14, the Lady Wildcats maintained control of their own destiny. They hold a 1-match lead over River Bluff and the Lady Eagles with matches remaining against White Knoll and River Bluff.
A sweep would earn a final region title for retiring head coach Chris Fryland. He is the winningest girls’ soccer coach in South Carolina High School League history.
Meanwhile, the Lexington boys looked to close the gap with Chapin for first place on March 14. The first half saw Will Blakely outrun the Chapin defender for a downfield pass by Anthony Rico that led to the Wildcats’ first goal.
Chapin tied the game at 1-1 in the second half with a goal off a penalty kick. The game remained tied through the two overtimes, setting up a shootout.
Freshman George Dupree continued his strong play with two stops to give Lexington the 1-1 (4-2 on PKs) victory.
“I was trying to stay calm,” he said. “I kind of had some advance on where they were going. It was really fun. It was one of my first chances to go out there.”
After moving into a first-place tie with Chapin, Lexington’s region title hopes took a blow days later with a 4-1 loss to Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes broke a 1-1 halftime tie with three unanswered goals.
Both Lexington teams did have players selected to the end of season All-Star soccer games.
On June 13, Austin Ipock and Anna Bart will participate in the North-South All-Star game at Anderson University. Both will play for the South teams.
A week later, Lexington’s Adriana Dunet will join River Bluff’s Bela Charriez on the Clash of the Carolinas girls’ roster. The annual interstate clash will take place June 20 at OrthoCarolina Sportsplex in Pineview, N.C.
