RALEIGH— Senior goalkeeper Dallas Warren had 11 saves and earned Most Valuable Player honors on Saturday afternoon as Asheville A.C. Reynolds edged Swansboro 2-1 in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 3-A women's soccer championship game at Dail Soccer Field at North Carolina State University.
Swansboro outshot A.C. Reynolds 13-5 and had the better run of play for much of the game, but Warren kept the Lady Pirates at bay. Swansboro also had nine corner kicks to just two for the the Rockets.
All the scoring came in the first half. A.C. Reynolds took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute on an unassisted goal by Christina Shimshock, and then the Rockets moved it to 2-0 about 12 minutes later when Kaley Cross tallied.
Swansboro cut the margin to 2-1 just 18 seconds before halftime on a long floating shot by junior forward Tylor Ring that Warren deflected but could not save to give Ring her 20th goal of the season.
Swansboro keepers combined for three saves, with Gia McAlister getting one in the first half and then Jessica Edwards recording two in the final 40 minutes.
The Rockets ended the year with a 24-4 record while Swansboro wound up at 25-3 overall.
A.C. Reynolds made its first visit to the NCHSAA women’s soccer state finals. Swansboro, a perennial power, was in the 3-A championship for the first time but had earned four state crowns at the 2-A level, in 2006, ’09, ’10 and ’13. The Lady Pirates were in the championship for the eighth time.
The Raleigh Sports Consortium serves as the primary host city partner for the women's soccer championship, along with the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.
NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
STATE 3-A WOMEN'S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
Dail Soccer Field, N.C. State University
Asheville A.C. Reynolds 2 0– 2
Swansboro 1 0– 1
SCORING
10th minute ACR—Christina Shimshock
22nd minute ACR—Kaley Cross
40th minute S—Tylor Ring
