WALNUT COVE — No. 5 ranked South Stokes handed No. 4 Mount Airy its first loss of the season on Friday with a 3-2 come-from-behind overtime win in the Northwest 1A Conference.
With the win, the Sauras tied the Bears atop the conference with one loss each.
“The girls played as a team, and we kept our composure in a very physical game,” said Sauras’ coach Danny Bowman. “We maintained during the first half, but we also allowed them to control too much of the game. In the second half, we slowed down a little and played our game. We stepped up in the overtime period and scored our third goal early. It gave us the confidence we needed to hold on and get the win.”
The Bears’ Grey Moore gave her team an early 1-0 lead at the 31:14 mark of the first half. The senior scored on a header with the help of a pass from Karyme Bueno off a corner kick.
Mount Airy was able to take advantage of the physicality between both teams with 22 minutes left in the first half. The Sauras were called for a foul so Moore lined up for a free kick from 25 yards out. Moore’s kick bounced over the Sauras’ initial front line and then took a spinning bounce past goalie Alicia Rangel for a 2-0 advantage into the half.
Both teams had moments of control in the first 10 minutes of the second half until South’s Ella Carroll closed the gap with a goal with 29:49 left in the contest.
Mount Airy controlled the next 20-plus minutes of play, keeping the ball on the Sauras’ defensive side of the field. Rangel continue to make saves in the goal to keep her team within striking distance.
With 8:57 left in the match, senior Jenna Shotton, who committed to play for Guilford College earlier in the day, took an unexpected shot from 40 yards out on the right hash. The senior’s kick sailed over multiple Bear defenders and found the back of the net, tying the contest and eventually sending the game into overtime.
The teams played two 10-minute overtime periods, with the Sauras scoring with 5:45 left in the first 10 minutes on of a corner kick by Shotton. Her kick found Abby Tilley in the middle of the field, and she placed the ball over the out-stretched hands of the Bears’ goalie Mackenzie Hudson giving the home team’s its first lead of the game.
The Sauras held strong and were able to withstand a fury of kicks by the Bears in the last minute of the game to get the win and draw even in the standings.
Rangel finished the game with 14 saves on 22 shots from the Bears. Hydson recorded 13 saves on 20 South Stokes’ shots.
South Stokes improved to 14-3 overall and 8-1 in league play after its 7-0 win over county-rival North Stokes on Tuesday. Shotton scored her conference leading 29th and 30th goals of the season in the win.
Mount Airy dropped to 14-1-4 overall and 8-1 in league play.
The Sauras travel to Elkin (11-3-1, 7-2) on Thursday and the Bears go to Alleghany (5-6, 5-5). The Elks gave South its only loss in league play with a 3-2 overtime victory in Walnut-Cove two weeks ago.
Robert Money can be reached at 336-749-1193.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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