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New Hanover’s Reese Hughes didn’t have time to think.
Not in a moment like this.
With the final seconds bleeding away in what felt like the biggest game the program has ever played, the Wildcats’ attacker waited, eyes locked ahead. Regulation had already expired as New Hanover and Hoggard remained tied 12-12 Friday, April 24, at Scott Braswell Stadium.
Then came the whistle. A penalty. Five seconds back on the clock. Just enough for one more chance. One more prayer.
VOTE NOW Here are 28 choices for midseason baseball player of the year
New Hanover’s Maizie Lewis would be tasked with sending the last-ditch effort. Her pass from midfield bounced inside the box before finding its way to an open Hughes. The sophmore collected, turned and fired.
Goal. Horn. Game. New Hanover had won 13-12.
“That’s definitely my favorite moment ever playing lacrosse,” Hughes said.
This wasn’t just a goal. It wasn’t just a win. New Hanover didn’t just hold its place atop the Carolina Coast Conference or keep a historic season rolling. The Wildcats flipped a rivalry that had long leaned the other way, completing their first regular-season sweep of Hoggard.
“That was the best play I’ve ever seen since I’ve been coaching here,” New Hanover coach Avery Gerold Coley said.
While Lewis scored five goals on the day, each drawn up and perfectly executed, the most important moment ultimately came down to pure ambition.
“I was just like, I don’t even know, just chuck it down,” she said. “Hopefully, one of my teammates will catch it, or it will somehow go in the goal. It ended up working.”
Entering Friday, New Hanover was 2-31 all-time against the Vikings. One of those wins came earlier this spring, a 9-8 overtime escape that hinted something might be changing.
Friday felt the same. Unsettled and wild.
New Hanover jumped out early, then watched Hoggard surge ahead 7-3 late in the first half. Lewis answered with three straight goals. Elizabeth Sifly tied it at seven midway through the third.
The Wildcats scored seven unanswered goals and carried a 10-7 lead into the fourth, only to see it vanish. With 32 seconds left, Hoggard's Mia Shade scored her fourth goal to tie it at 12.
New Hanover remains tied atop the conference after splitting its regular-season series with Topsail. While a few regular-season contents are still needed to decide conference champions, it's the culture, not the standings, that's inspiring the Wildcats.
“This win says everything,” Gerold Coley said. “You can just see the progression. We’ve got a great culture going on.”
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover girls lacrosse downs Hoggard on final second goal
Continue reading...
Not in a moment like this.
With the final seconds bleeding away in what felt like the biggest game the program has ever played, the Wildcats’ attacker waited, eyes locked ahead. Regulation had already expired as New Hanover and Hoggard remained tied 12-12 Friday, April 24, at Scott Braswell Stadium.
Then came the whistle. A penalty. Five seconds back on the clock. Just enough for one more chance. One more prayer.
VOTE NOW Here are 28 choices for midseason baseball player of the year
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New Hanover’s Maizie Lewis would be tasked with sending the last-ditch effort. Her pass from midfield bounced inside the box before finding its way to an open Hughes. The sophmore collected, turned and fired.
Goal. Horn. Game. New Hanover had won 13-12.
“That’s definitely my favorite moment ever playing lacrosse,” Hughes said.
This wasn’t just a goal. It wasn’t just a win. New Hanover didn’t just hold its place atop the Carolina Coast Conference or keep a historic season rolling. The Wildcats flipped a rivalry that had long leaned the other way, completing their first regular-season sweep of Hoggard.
“That was the best play I’ve ever seen since I’ve been coaching here,” New Hanover coach Avery Gerold Coley said.
While Lewis scored five goals on the day, each drawn up and perfectly executed, the most important moment ultimately came down to pure ambition.
You must be registered for see images
“I was just like, I don’t even know, just chuck it down,” she said. “Hopefully, one of my teammates will catch it, or it will somehow go in the goal. It ended up working.”
Entering Friday, New Hanover was 2-31 all-time against the Vikings. One of those wins came earlier this spring, a 9-8 overtime escape that hinted something might be changing.
Friday felt the same. Unsettled and wild.
New Hanover jumped out early, then watched Hoggard surge ahead 7-3 late in the first half. Lewis answered with three straight goals. Elizabeth Sifly tied it at seven midway through the third.
The Wildcats scored seven unanswered goals and carried a 10-7 lead into the fourth, only to see it vanish. With 32 seconds left, Hoggard's Mia Shade scored her fourth goal to tie it at 12.
New Hanover remains tied atop the conference after splitting its regular-season series with Topsail. While a few regular-season contents are still needed to decide conference champions, it's the culture, not the standings, that's inspiring the Wildcats.
“This win says everything,” Gerold Coley said. “You can just see the progression. We’ve got a great culture going on.”
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover girls lacrosse downs Hoggard on final second goal
Continue reading...
