The Cleveland High Lady Rams soccer team will be advancing to the second round of the state playoffs after defeating Riverside High School by a score of 4-1. After an impressive campaign in which they finished first in conference, the women’s varsity soccer team began their postseason on the 15th of May. They faced off against Riverside High School, a school located in Durham, North Carolina. Today, I’ll be going over a few main reasons as to how and why Riverside were defeated with such ease. 

Blink and you’ll miss it

The Lady Rams started as they meant to continue, scoring within fifteen seconds of the game’s opening whistle. Some quick combination play through the middle of the field saw Nyjah Turner through on goal, who made no mistake finishing from close range. This was a crucial goal, as one could only imagine the amount of confidence it must have instilled in the team.

Goals Galore

Scoring four goals in any game is impressive, but even more so in a state playoff match. What is equally as impressive is that there were as many goals as there were goalscorers. Nyjah Turner, Yaneli Sanchez, Winston Yarborough, and Grace Keighley all got themselves on the score sheet in their emphatic first round win. When you really simplify it, soccer is a simple sport. Score more goals than your opponent and you win, and that’s exactly what Cleveland did.

Defensive Dominance

It’s all well and good being able to score goals, but if you can’t stop your opponents from doing so, you’re going to be in for a tough game. Luckily for the Lady Rams, the center back pairing of Jamie Adams and Riley Booth proved to be too much for Riverside to handle. The two had excellent games, and the Riverside Pirates were unable to generate any form of attack going through the center, forcing them to attack out wide. Although they found slightly more success, fullbacks Ella Abreu and Julia Meese were able to mitigate the danger of Riverside’s wingers. A strong performance from Cleveland’s entire back line played a huge part in their win.

Our Saving Grace

Junior, Grace Keighley was officially named the game’s man of the match for the integral part she played in her team’s victory. Registering one goal and one assist, and even setting up another, it’s safe to say she was a deserved recipient of the award. Playing the game in the center mid position, Grace truly controlled not only the midfield, but the game in its entirety. She played a number of perfectly weighted through balls, which caused the Pirates’ defense all sorts of issues. Both on attack and defense, she was in the right place at the right time, and must have been a nightmare to play against from a Riverside point of view. This is actually the third man of the match award that Grace has earned just this season alone.

The Lady Rams will face off against Pinecrest High School in the second round of the state playoffs. This game will be played on Thursday, May 18th at 6:30 pm here at home. Come out and support your varsity women’s soccer team, as it’s bound to be an exciting game.