Hendersonville – West Henderson has much to celebrate, despite dropping its first soccer match of the season by 1-0 to 4A power Asheville at home on Friday, May 3.
The Falcons (19-1) finished unbeaten in 3A Mountain Seven play at 12-0, thrashing Franklin (6-4-1) 9-0 and second-place Tuscola (8-1-1) by 6-0 last week to close the regular season. The win over FHS was head coach Brian Brewer’s 300th career victory in Falcon boys and girls varsity soccer combined.
The Lady Falcons last season won four rounds — the most in their history — and finished 23-4. A year earlier, they won three playoff matches in a 20-4-1 campaign.
They were unbeaten in M7 play, and are apt to match that perfection in ‘24. The Falcons are on quite a run with senior Marianne Maxon. In her four years, they went 9-5, 20-4-1, 23-4, and now 19-1 thus far. As a freshman in 2021, Marianne was on varsity with her standout then-senior sister Caroline. Varsity Falcons have featured a Maxon for six years in a row, starting with pre-COVID in 2019.
Playoff Primer
Playing Asheville late in the regular season in recent years has helped West “get into form” for playoffs, Coach Brewer said. West won two of three from premier Buncombe County teams in 2024. West won 3-2 early on at 4A powerhouse T.C. Roberson. The Falcons beat a potential 3A playoff foe, A.C. Reynolds, 3-2 at home in mid-March.
“We can contend for the 3A title” and “we played hard” are among post-loss comments that Falcon players made. AHS head coach Mike Flowe was “impressed” with both teams’ fitness, energetic play in high humidity, defense, skilled passing and (occasional) shooting.
The only goal between Asheville and West was on leading Cougar scorer Lily Foo’s corner kick, which a Falcon defender errantly headed into her own net for an “own goal” with 1:45 left. West goalkeeper Ella Collier moved up toward where Foo booted the ball. She had no chance, as the ball was headed over her reach.
Collier Collars Foes
Freshman Collier (0.46 GAA) earned praise from Coach Brewer in his halftime speech, for her “tremendous play in goal.” Maxon said post-game that Collier “killed it” against Asheville. “I have faith in her,” heading into playoffs.
Rhylie Druskis’ first-half shot deflected off of a sidebar, for one of West’s very few scoring chances. Druskis scored twice and had two assists in a recent 9-0 demolition of Pisgah, and scored twice at Franklin to reach 18 goals. Senior Catherine Barton also has 18 goals. Junior Lauren Clonch contributed 11 goals for West.
Maxon had a three-goal “hat trick” in that win, and three assists. She is WNC’s female career public high school goal-scoring champion. She ended this regular season with 43 goals and over 30 assists.
Maxon had two solid chances midway into the second half against Asheville. She dribbled through the defense, and cut right to get in front of the net for a point-blank shot. But defender Evelyn Bick knocked the ball away. Soon after, Maxon drilled a long shot. But AHS goalkeeper Ellie Wiegand-Reavis made the save.
Coach Brewer urged the Falcons at halftime to better “follow shots” for rebound shots. He reminded Maxon to pass whenever “you draw a crowd of defenders,” and she did so.
West is also the unofficial Henderson County champion, beating Hendersonville 5-2 at home on March 4 and sweeping M7 foes East and North Henderson.
‘Gimme Three Goals’ Cats
Hendersonville (13-2-1; 11-0-1 MFC) is also continuing its immense soccer success. The 2A Lady Bearcats clinched a Mountain Foothills crown, by tying Brevard 2-2 after two overtimes at home on May 1. Down 1-0 at halftime, the Lady Cats outscored BHS 2-1 in the second half.
Winning 2-0 at Brevard (18-1-2; 9-1-2) on April 9 proved a decisive victory. That was the Lady Blue Devils’ sole defeat. Polk County (9-3) is third. The Lady Cats swept Polk by 2-1 and 4-2 scores.
HHS seniors Maggie Bish and Aubrie Retzbach are in the top five among league goal scorers, both in double digits.
Stella Veach scored both HHS goals in a 3:14 span of the second half, in the 2-0 home win over East Rutherford on April 25. Veach’s first goal was off a corner kick. Her second one was a blast of nearly 35 yards.
This match was scoreless at halftime. Lady Bearcat head soccer coach Melissa Villars-Nitsche made a request, with a musical ring to it. “Gimme three goals,” she said. It sounded like the title for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s eventual follow-up to “Gimme Three Steps.” Since the Bearcats scored twice, their responding song could be Meatloaf’s “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” another Seventies pop hit.