LowcoSports.com
Sure, the Beaufort High girls soccer team had a big pair of shoes to fill in goal this season, but the Eagles knew they had good enough footing everywhere else on the field to stay competitive.
After a strong early-season run that included a 2-2 draw with SCISA power Hilton Head Prep and a heartbreaking loss in penalties against a strong Bluffton squad, the Eagles gave themselves a surge of momentum going into Region 8-3A play by winning all four matches at the Crescent Cup last weekend in Columbia to capture the title.
Beaufort opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Westside as Payton Mullen scored the lone goal of the match, and the Eagles followed it up with a 2-0 victory against Gilbert later Saturday, getting goals from Selena Duncan and Charlotte Blair Scarpa and a second straight shutout from Johanna Laney.
On Sunday, Duncan scored a hat trick and Lucy Byrum and Gianna Pacheco each added a goal in a 5-3 win over White Knoll to put the Eagles in the championship game against Providence Athletic Club. Duncan added a brace in the final to lead Beaufort to a 2-1 win and give her six goals in the four-game tournament.
“Honestly the best we’ve ever played,” Duncan said on Monday’s episode of the LowcoSports Lowdown. “We’re connecting so well. The chemistry is really showing. We’re playing so well together, and obviously it’s showing in the results.”
Laney has been solid in goal stepping into the role formerly filled by Quinn Wilson, last year’s lone senior who is now excelling at Georgia Southern, and she hasn’t faced too much pressure thanks to the 10 returning starters on the field, including a strong midfield and stingy back line.
“Obviously Quinn was a big player for us last year and she was a very fundamental part of the team,” Duncan said. “But I helped (Laney) train this summer, I helped shoot on her a little and we helped practice with her, and she’s doing great.”
The Eagles (5-1-1) were set to open region play at home against Philip Simmons on Tuesday before playing at Battery Creek on Friday.
