The Falcons, now 7-0-2, faced another tough test on Tuesday at Carolina Friends before completing the regular season at home against Westchester Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. That match could be for the Triad Athletic Conference regular-season title.
O’Neal coach Kyle Kegl said that an early defensive stop was the key to Monday’s win over the Cougars.
About 10 minutes in, Falcon goalkeeper Nicole Poteat charged off her line and turned away a Cougar attacker in a one-on-one battle. Then she twice stopped rebound attempts off the initial save.
Later in the tight first half, the Falcons’ Jessica Gregory received a ball wide on the left from Lindsay Garner and beat a couple of defenders to score the first goal of the match. Fifteen minutes into the second, the freshman found the net again, finishing a rebound off a shot by teammate Kate King.
Garner and Margaret Cross scored the other Falcon goals with King and Mary Frump being credited with the assists.
Kegl praised defenders Allison Weis and Kelsy Hukee with playing a big part in keeping Emily Boone, who scored twice against the Falcons in the first meeting of the teams, out of the net.
In the tight TAC race, only one game in the standings separates Westchester Academy, O’Neal and third-place Carolina Friends.
