CLAYTON — One good turn deserves passage into the second round of the playoffs. That's what Panther Creek got Wednesday night, as Ashley Clark blasted in a pair of goals in leading the Catamounts past host Clayton, 3-1 in the opening round of the N. C. High School Association 4-A Soccer tournament. The victory sends Panther Creek, the No. 3 seed from the Tri-Eight Conference now 15-7-2, into a second-round meeting at PAC-6 champion East Chapel Hill. The Falcons (21-1-2) defeated the Catamounts 4-1 earlier this season. Clayton, the No. 2 seed of the Greater Neuse River Conference, saw its season end with a 16-2-2 mark, finding the physical and aggressive nature of the Catamounts more than they could handle in the first half, as Panther Creek dominated play on the offensive side of the field while putting the clamps defensively on the Comets' top scorer, Skyler Poole. "I thought their effort ond focus was outstanding throughout the game," said Catamounts coach Todd Schuler of his team's performance. "We play in a pretty physical conference, and I think that showed in the first half. "I don't know how many fouls we had called against us, but there were a lot. That's a case of us being aggressive, winning 50-50 balls and it set the tempo for the game." Poole found herself double- and triple-teamed at times, a major part of the Catamounts' strategy to keep her from turning the ball and attacking the goal. "We kind of knew Skyler was their most dangerous player," Schuler said. "What we tried to do was get her to play with her back to the goal, and stand her up, not let her turn the ball toward goal. "She's a dangerous player when she's coming at you." With Poole contained, the Catamounts kept working for the break that would turn the game in their favor . That break came with 9:45 left in the first half, when the Catamounts won a battle for possession just past midfield. As the Catamounts won the ball, a Comets defender fell to the turf, leaving Clayton short-handed on their defensive back line. The Catamounts took advantage, moving the ball quickly into the left side of the Comets' defensive third, where Madeline Bisantz found Clark open just outside the 18-yard box. Clark took the pass, turned and fired a left-to-right laser that caught Comets goalkeeper Ollivia Baumgartner flat-footed, soaring over her head and into the net for a 1-0 Panther Creek lead with 9:19 remaining in the period. "Ashley has a pretty good left foot," Schuler said. "She really cracked it. When she hits a ball like that, not many keepers are going to save that. "She has a lethal shot, and it was great to go up 1-0." Despite the offensive domination, the Catamounts owned a slim 4-1 advantage in shots on goal at halftime. Panther Creek turned up the pressure in the second half, which paid off when Alyssa Bearden was fouled in the box early in the period. Bearden, a College of Charleston signee, drilled her penalty kick into the upper left 90 of the net for a crucial insurance goal and 2-0 lead. Clayton finally found its offensive stride in the final 20 minutes, generating several scoring opportunities, but failing to capitalize until Sarah Hiney lobbed a direct kick from the top right of the box over the head of Catamounts keeper Kenzie McNeilly, trimming Panther Creek's lead to 2-1.

The Comets continued to apply pressure, but failed to connect on a corner kick, and later a cross by Poole that went through the goal crease without being touched. The Catamounts stemmed that momentum when Gabrielle Michel sent a cross from the right side of the field to a charging Clark, who popped a shot past Baumgartner from 15 yards out to seal the deal and send PC into the second round. "When we gave up the goal in the second half, Clayton got the momentum for a little while," Schuler said. "But we hung in there, maintained our composure and got that third goal to close it out."