Grier marched through MS soccer playoffs

Grier middle school used consecutive “shots from the mark” situations to win the Girls MS Soccer Championship this week over Cramerton.

Grier needed to get past Belmont last Thursday to play in the championship match. They progressed after outlasting Belmont through 70 minutes of a scoreless draw and winning 2-1 in “shots from the mark” ( commonly called, “PK shootout”). Neither team had many opportunities in regulation and the overtime periods. Both coach Wydo of Grier, and coach Barnhardt of Belmont looked to bulking up their defenses using Shannon Kay of Grier, and Molly Fisher of Belmont as center backs or sweepers to keep out the opposition. The resulting progession to shots allowed Grier to progress after the girls figured out how to look for corners in those big goals.

A similar scenario greeted the Grier Knights as they played Cramerton for the championship. After a 1-1 regulation match and no score in overtime, Pk’s once again forced a result.

Congratulations, we at the Front Porch are looking forward to the next year of soccer in the Gaston County area. There will be many exciting youngesters joining the high school programs, and the continued growth of the sport in this area is developing many more players and fans.