Hendersonville – West (6-1-2) leads the all-3A Mountain Seven with a record of 4-0.
Hendersonville (8-1-1; 5-0 MFC) will face 2A Mountain Foothills co-leader Brevard (8-2-1; 6-0) at BHS on Tuesday. A rematch is scheduled at home on May 1. HHHS defeated Polk County (6-1; 5-1) 4-0 and averages 6.2 goals to 0.4 goals allowed per league victory.
HHS head coach Melissa Nitsche’s Lady Cats advanced to the third and fourth rounds in the latest 2A playoffs. Nitsche, along with West’s Brian Brewer, A.C. Reynolds’ Patrick Gladys, 4A Asheville’s Mike Flowe, and 4A T.C. Roberson’s Leslie Sloan, coaches both male and female varsity squads.
Rocketing the MAC
Reynolds (10-1-1) leads the 4A/3A Mountain Athletic Conference with a 5-0 record. The Lady Rockets won 2-0 at West on March 6, possibly previewing a 3A playoff matchup. ACR will host 2A HHS on April 29.
Reynolds defeated arch-rivals Asheville (8-2-1; 3-1-1) and TCR (7-3-3; 4-1-1) 2-1 on March 14 and April 2, respectively. ACR will host AHS on April 10 and visit Roberson on May 5. Asheville tied Roberson 3-3 on March 26 and will host TCR on April 28, likely determining the MAC’s top 4A seed.
Asheville’s opponents face the Case twin junior forwards, with Peyton leading AHS with 18 goals and Addie scoring eight. The goalkeepers are Siena Gentry (0.94 GAA), one of four seniors, and sophomore Ellie Wiegand-Reavis (1.13).
Roberson’s five seniors include standout scorer Kate Pratt (28 goals, averaging 2.3 per game), GK Lidia Fiore (1.12), and Lucy Sloan.
Reynolds boasts ten seniors. Senior goalkeeper Claire Rhoden (1.00 GAA) possesses size, reflexes, and big-game experience. Reynolds averages MAC victories by a score of 3.6 to 0.60.
Midfielder Katelynn Ciolek is “our best player on most nights,” Coach Gladys stated. “She is the orchestra leader, the ‘Maestro.’”
Swift wings include senior Evva Hamilton and Jaylee Monteith, according to Gladys. “Our attack is mostly possession-oriented. We like to probe until we find the opening. We have many creative players who handle the scoring load.” These players include junior Ciolek and sophomores Christina Diavatis, Scarlett Ulrichs, and Monteith, who scored against TCR. Rell Bound and Ruby Jacobelly found the net against AHS.
Ella and Reagan Bowl
The HSS-West tie showcased strategic coaching and served as a playoff primer for two teams that previously competed in the same 2A conference. Though they have different postseason paths, both teams share similar skills and determination and excel against their conference rivals. “West has a phenomenal team,” stated Coach.
Hendersonville and West Henderson reflect each other with goaltenders named Ella—West’s Collier and HHS’s Pavao. Pavao expressed her excitement for the high-pressure match: “We came together for a great team effort.”
Each team features a leading sophomore scorer named Reagan, who guarded the other for much of the match. After HHS’s first goal, Coach Brewer moved Reagan Simons from forward to defender to counter Lady Cat Reagan Adams’ speed. Simons has nine goals, including two hat tricks.
On Friday, Adams scored the final goal, cutting toward the goal and shooting beyond Collier’s reach into the net’s right side. West midfielder Noelle Houlihan opened the scoring and leads West with ten goals, while left wing Mia Nitsche equalized for HHS. Coach Nitsche noted, “Both of our wings scored.” West regained the lead before halftime with a goal from Rhylie Druskis.
Protecting Midfield
By halftime, Coach Nitsche adjusted her defense to push West to the outside after they repeatedly charged “up the gut,” resulting in few scoring chances during a scoreless second half.
West goalkeeper Collier made a crucial play with just 35 seconds remaining, saying, “I just reacted … I came out, threw myself at her (Nitsche), and blocked” the shot before securing the rebound.
The four senior Lady Cats are Addison Adams, Gabby LeClair, Ansley McGraw, and Stella Veach. The top eight HHS scorers are non-seniors, including freshman Amelia Hodge, who scored nine goals in her first six games.
In contrast, eight of West’s seventeen players are seniors, including Druskis, Houlihan, Lauren Clonch, Sarah Hughes, Katelyn Day, Allison Justus, Ashlyn Kurle, and defender Emery Sprouse, who has played every minute for four seasons. Clonch leads West with seven assists, while Justus has six.