Lady Rams fall to Enloe, ending historic season

PEMBROKE — The night started well for Purnell Swett, with a goal just 54 seconds into Monday’s first-round 4A state playoff girls soccer match against Enloe.

But the Eagles wouldn’t stay down for long, taking the lead less than 15 minutes later and flying away to earn a 4-1 win over the Lady Rams.

“Technically, they were a better team than us, and you could see it with the play,” Purnell Swett coach Alaric Strickland said. “That’s where we’ve been striving to get better at. Even though we had a great season, we still technically have to get better as a team, and as individuals. And so hopefully we learn from this, we get better from this and we’re going to come back stronger I believe.”

Sarah Hunt scored on a free kick for Purnell Swett (20-2), the No. 7 seed in the 4A East Region, finding the top-left corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

“I just knew Sarah had it in her to put it in the upper corner,” Strickland said. “We’d seen some film on this goalie and she didn’t have much jump in her off the line, so we knew we could get it over her head, so that was able to happen and benefit us.”

No. 26 Enloe (12-7-2) tied the game when Alicia Okonkwo hit the top-right corner with a 15-yard shot less than four minutes into the game. The Eagles took a 2-1 lead with 24:45 left in the half on a goal after the ball was batted around in traffic and deflected into the net.

“The momentum did change, but I still thought we had a chance to stay in it. And the girls worked their tail off for all 80 minutes of this game,” Strickland said.

Maddie Schaefer scored from close range at the 21:13 mark of the first half for a 3-1 lead, which Enloe retained until halftime.

Okonkwo scored her second goal of the night on a runner with 14:10 remaining in the game. But despite the deficit, the Rams played a better half defensively over the final 40 minutes.

“The girls showed a lot of pride and heart and fight tonight,” Strickland said. “Even though the score didn’t show the outcome we wanted, that was what I was most proud of. They didn’t give up, they kept fighting, they were determined to keep fighting, and we can build off that.”

Enloe advances to face No. 10 Pinecrest in Thursday’s second round.

The loss ended the season for the Rams, who set a school record with 20 wins and won a share of the United-8 Conference championship for the first time in program history. Monday’s game was also the program’s first home playoff game.

“I’m just so proud of them for what they accomplished,” Strickland said. “They exceeded my expectations, becoming co-conference champions. The 20 wins, only the two losses — it’s a major step for this program and these young ladies.”