Southern Lee couldn’t keep up.
Sarah Bland was too fast.
The Rocky Mount High senior scored four goals and powered an attack that erupted for seven goals in a 7-3 win over the visiting Cavaliers on Monday in the second round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs.
The Southern Lee defenders couldn’t keep pace with Bland, who consistently got behind the defense where she would make plays. Bland opened the scoring less than nine minutes into the match, and she added three second-half goals.
“What worked for us was building in the middle,” Bland said. “We possessed from the middle, then attacked. Especially out of the half, we knew whoever scored first had the advantage, so we went after them.”
The No. 6 Gryphons allowed a pair of goals within a span of 75 seconds, and trailed 2-1. The second Southern Lee goal came from forward Laurynn Ansted, who has 48 goals on the season. Ansted was the focus of the Gryphons’ preparations, and they made it a point to know where the talented senior was at all times.
RMH did a good job of limiting Ansted’s touches near the net, but Ansted scored on a shot from about 30 yards that goalkeeper Tyasha Arrington couldn’t get to in time.
The Cavaliers didn’t lead for long, however, as Erin Cooke scored 18 seconds later to even the score at 2-2. The teams traded goals before half, as Bland scored on a breakaway to take a brief lead, before Ansted answered with a goal of her own.
The teams entered halftime tied 3-3, sending both squads scrambling to fix a series of defensive breakdowns.
“We’ve been able to score a lot, but we’ve also been in situations where we trailed by a goal or two,” Bland said. “We made some adjustments, brought Katie (Moss) up in our set and attacked more.”
The Gryphons knew that they had the faster team, and bringing the midfielder Moss into the attack more often created more chances. Most of the second half was spent on the Southern Lee side of the field, and the scoring chances came in bunches.
Cooke scored her second goal at the 32:40 mark of the second half, then Bland scored by heading in a corner kick two minutes later. Barkley Browder and Bland would each score once more to push the lead to 7-3.
RMH will face a familiar opponent in the third round in Jacksonville, which elminiated the Gryphons from the playoffs in the third round last season. RMH, however, was without top goal-scorer Bland, who was on a family vacation.
Oxendine said he expects this version of Jacksonville, which upset No. 3 Chapel Hill as a 14 seed, to be unlike any team RMH has faced this season. The Gryphons coach said Jacksonville brings a physicality to its game that will be a challenge.
“They play tough,” Oxendine said. “They are a very physical, scrappy team. We are going to have to be strong in the middle and have a strong counterattack to handle it.”
By PATRICK MASON
Sports Writer for Rocky Mount Telegram
Monday, May 15, 2017