Asheville High advanced to the 3A West Regional final with a 2-1 victory over Hickory Monday night.
Despite outshooting the Cougars 13-3 for the match, the Red Tornadoes were unable to finish off their scoring opportunities and saw their season end in the state quarterfinal playoff soccer match.
Asheville (17-6-4) will travel to Marvin Ridge (20-2-1), a 3-2 winner over Charlotte Catholic, on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, it was one of those nights were the ball didn't like us very much," said Hickory coach Brian Jillings. "A couple of bounces here and there, it's a different ball game. We left everything out on the field, that's all you can ask."
The Cougars scored the winning goal in the opening minute of the second half as Hayden Clark sent a crossing pass from the right corner to Kenneth Lingerfelt, who fired in the shot from 15-yards away.
"A good player like that doesn't need much of an opportunity," said Jillings. "I thought Drew (Hilton) defended well, he just finished it."
Asheville opened the scoring at the five-minute mark of the match. Midfielder Jackson Allen took a goal kick from keeper Ethan Wallenius-Caldwell at the left sideline near midfield. The speedy Allen dribbled the ball down the sideline before being tackled twice by Banks Anderson. Allen recovered the ball in the left corner, then fired a crossing pass to the goal mouth, where Gabe Chess fired a header into the net for the goal.
Hickory (26-2) got even on a similar play at the 14-minute mark. A minute after entering the game, Drew Collins worked the ball into the right corner, then fed a crossing pass to Adam Betzweiser, who sent in a header for the score.
The Red Tornadoes had several opportunities in the final ten minutes of the first half to take the lead. Drake Fisher sent a shot off Wallenius-Caldwell's hand and off the crossbar at the 30-min mark. Three minutes later, a shot by Taylor Walker from 25-yards was stopped by the keeper.
Hickory had three strong opportunities at the 35-minute mark. Thatcher Inglefield set a free kick from 40-yards directly on net. On the ensuing goal kick, Betzweiser took control at midfield and sent the ball the Fisher on a breakaway. The scoring threat was thwarted by Wilkin Hanaway, who came back from his midfield position for a tackle in the penalty area, setting up a corner kick for Hickory. That threat ended when a header from the corner kick went wide.
"We were very fortunate to make it to halftime 1-1, cause I thought Hickory took it to us" said Asheville Coach Mike Flowe. "In the second half we got up on them. Then at the end they were throwing the kitchen sink at us. Our goaltender came up big for us."
Hickory had five shots on goal from the penalty are in the second half, but came up empty.
"You take them any way you can get them: Survive and advance", said Flowe.
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