Mackenzie Lewis
Sports Editor
The girls soccer team faced off against Daniel Hand in the first round of states on Tuesday, November 4. Senior Shelby Overacker felt that the team was confident going into the game. “We never played them before so we didn’t know what to expect, but we did what we had to win,” she said.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie. After an overtime with no score, NC used the same strategy they had in St. Joe’s game, and beat Daniel Hand 4-2 in penalty kicks (PKs). “I think we deserved to win both those games,” Shelby said. “I’m glad that even if it had to go to PKs, we won.”
This win advanced the team into the second round of states, in which they played the top-seeded team, East Lyme, on Thursday, November 6. Freshmen Julia Ozimek and Braeden Dial netted two goals for the Rams, giving them a 2-0 lead. Although East Lyme was able to score later on in the game, the girls were able to hold them down, resulting in a 2-1 win.
Senior co-captain Kyla Persky was proud of the team’s win. “All season we’ve played by the mantra ‘do better,’” she said. “Do better than you did last game, do better than you did last play, do better in each moment that you are on the field than you ever have before. I think we’ve done that this season.”
Although the team fell short to Mercy 2-0 in the third round of states last Saturday, November 8, the team was happy with its improvement this season. “You’re going to face adversity and things aren’t always going to go your way, but you keep your chin up and you push on,” Kyla said. “We’re proud of our success this season and that we’ve rallied together as a team.”
