Mount Airy won nine-straight Northwest 1A Conference matches to clinch its third-consecutive league title.
Mount Airy and Elkin shared the NW1A Title after splitting their regular season meetings, so a third match was played on neutral territory to decide the conference’s top seed for the postseason.
The Granite Bears topped the Buckin’ Elks 5-3 in the rubber match on May 8.
“I think this win is probably the best win that we’ve had all season,” said Mount Airy coach Ava Taylor.
The Bears and Elks combined to score 21 goals across their first two meetings; Elkin won the first match 7-4 on April 2, then Mount Airy retaliated with a 7-3 win on April 25.
“We started very strong in the second game against them,” Taylor said. “We were fueled by vengeance to beat Elkin, especially since we lost to them the first time, and we had a good team bonding time before the game. Mentally we were ready. We jumped on them quickly and it paid off.”
Mount Airy (14-5-2, 11-1 NW1A) had another strong start in the tiebreaker game by going up 3-0 in the first half. Paola Ramirez scored first just eight minutes into the match, then again in the 19th minute. Laura Livengood made it 3-0 when she scored in the 36th minute.
Elkin put its first shot into the back of the net less than 60 seconds after Livengood’s goal.
The Elks (17-5-1, 11-1 NW1A) took momentum into halftime and came out strong in the second half. Elkin dominated possession before earning a penalty kick in the 53rd minute, then put it away to cut the lead to a goal.
Mount Airy had numerous runs halted by offside calls in the second half, but finally got through Elkin’s trap in the 64th minute. Kate Deaton sent a ball over the back line to Ramirez, who made a touch around the keeper and sent an open look into the net.
The Bears’ two-goal lead was short-lived as the Elks converted another penalty kick in the 70th minute. Elkin nearly earned another PK on a handling call, but it was placed just outside the 18-yard box. The Bears fended off the attack to maintain their lead.
Ramirez put the game away with a goal off a Deaton assist in the 78th minute. Mount Airy remained on the attack following the goal to keep Elkin from staging a comeback.
“I think today was absolutely the highlight of our season so far,” Taylor said. “We have improved throughout the season as a team athletically and mentally, and I think we’re more united than we were from the beginning. That’s played into our success and also helped us learn how to get over losses, which is something we just didn’t have last year until playoffs.
“We still have room for growth, but overall I think we’ve improved dramatically.”
Wednesday’s win gave Mount Airy the NW1A Conference’s top playoff seed. The Bears earned the No. 6 seed in the 1A West and will host No. 27 East Wilkes (7-8-3) in the first round. Mount Airy topped East Wilkes twice during the regular season with scores of 7-0 and 9-0.
The winner of Mount Airy and East Wilkes will take on the winner of No. 11 South Davidson (9-9-1) and No. 22 Bradford Prep (5-9).
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