Brevard – Hendersonville lost a thrilling 3-2 match against conference rival Brevard, which extended to four overtimes before concluding in a dramatic shootout.
West Henderson (16-4-2; 10-2 M7), the fifth seed in the West Region’s 3A division, suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of fourth-seeded Lake Norman on May 19. West shared the Mountain Seven championship with Tuscola (13-7), both finishing with a record of 10-2. The teams split their regular-season encounters, with West winning 5-2 at home on May 7. In regional seeding, West was ranked ten spots higher than Tuscola.
In a similar vein, 2A twelfth seed Hendersonville (17-3-2; 10-1-1) also split league matches with Mountain Foothills champion Brevard (17-4-1; 11-1), with each team winning a low-scoring contest at home. HHS secured a 1-0 victory on May 1. A 4-4 tie with Polk County prevented HHS from sharing first place. Fourth-seeded BHS was eliminated in round four, shortly after defeating HHS.
In the playoffs, head coach Melissa “Mel” Villars Nitsche’s Hendersonville team triumphed over Trinity 4-0 and then won 2-1 at Wilkes Central before falling to Brevard in round three.
Dazzling Finale
Hendersonville opened the scoring at Brevard midway through the first half when Addison Reid took a shot. Jordan Doyle rifled the rebound toward the goal, but BHS defender Annaly Baron inadvertently redirected it into her own net for an “own goal.”
Brevard equalized with 8:20 remaining in the first half when leading Blue Devil scorer Charley Goodwin (29 goals), a sophomore, received a pass in front of the net.
The game remained scoreless for the rest of regulation and the first of two ten-minute overtimes. Both teams scored within a minute of each other in the second overtime, with HHS’ Stella Veach scoring first and being mobbed by teammates. Neither team found the net in two five-minute sudden-death overtimes.
Shootout at BHS Corral
The match proceeded to a shootout, beginning with five rounds where BHS went first. The teams alternated turns going one-on-one against the opposing goalkeeper. HHS sophomore keeper Ella Pavão made a save, and leading Cat scorer Reagan Adams converted her shot for a 1-0 lead. Adams, a sophomore, and her newly-graduated sister Addison Adams are all-state.
Both teams scored, including Reid from HHS. Pavão made another save, allowing HHS to take an impressive 3-1 lead with junior Kaitlyn Dibert’s goal. HHS scored on its first three shootout attempts, but BHS managed to score on its last two tries, and senior Abby Huter made saves to secure a 3-3 tie.
The next round of the shootout was sudden death. Brevard’s Lila Laughridge scored, putting pressure on HHS to respond to stay alive in the playoffs. Surprisingly, the next shooter for HHS was keeper Pavão. “Ella’s a good shooter,” Coach Nitsche noted afterward. There was an element of surprise as Huter had never seen six-foot lefty Pavão shoot. However, Huter made the save, clinching the win for Brevard.
Athletic six-foot Pavão concluded her sophomore season with an impressive goals-against average of 1.19. She also plays basketball for HHS. Her older brother, Noah Pavão (HHS ‘23), excelled as a goalkeeper for Bearcat soccer boys.
The four leading Lady Bearcat goal scorers and eight of the top nine were non-seniors, indicating promising prospects for the Lady Cats in 2026. Leading the way were sophomore Adams (21 goals), freshman Amelia Hodge (19), sophomore Reid (13), and junior Mia Nitsche (10). They all advanced a grade on May 30 when seniors graduated. Stella Veach led HHS seniors/new graduates with seven goals.
Falcons Win Twice
West Henderson’s double-digit goal scorers included new graduate Rhylie Druskis (22), sophomore Reagan Simons (17), and seniors Noelle Houlihan (14) and Lauren Clonch (12).
Allison Justus led HHS with 18 assists. Another of the team’s eight new graduates is defender Emery Sprouse, who played every minute of every game for four varsity seasons. Goalkeeper Ella Collier (1.29 GAA) is a rising junior.
Fifth-seeded West, coached by Brian Brewer, defeated North Lincoln 2-1 and blanked Forestview 6-0 in their 3A matches.
Buncombe/Henderson public schools that won playoff openers but lost in round two included 4A Asheville and T.C. Roberson; injury-plagued 3A number one seed A.C. Reynolds (18-4-2; 11-0 MAC), Enka, and North Buncombe also in 3A; as well as 2A Owen. North Henderson lost in round one of the 3A playoffs.
Gladys Legacy
Veteran ACR head coach Patrick Gladys stepped down as Lady Rocket head coach days after the season concluded. He stated that he will continue coaching Rocket boys’ soccer but believes “it’s time for a new voice to carry this legacy forward” for ACR girls.
Michigan native Gladys won 24 league titles and more than 900 games for Reynolds over his 52 total seasons since 1999. The Lady Rockets’ state title in 2015 remains the only one among Buncombe public school female teams. His boys’ team was the state runner-up in 2017, and he has achieved five final four finishes.