CARY -- The Cary High girls' soccer team jumped out to an 1-0 lead in the first half against Fuquay-Varina Wednesday night and even had twice as many shots on goal in the second half after being tied at intermission, but as Lady Imps' coach Laura Kerrigan put, sometimes in soccer the ball doesn't bounce your way.

The Lady Bengals' Whitney White converted one of Fuquay's two shots on goal in the second period to give FVHS a 2-1 win and sole possession of fifth place in the Tri Eight and -- more importantly -- the conference's fifth and final playoff spot.

The Lady Imps' first season under the former N.C. State coach comes to and end, but not before Cary battled Fuquay in hard-fought game to the final whistle.

"It's been a great ride this season with these guys. They got better as we went on," Kerrigan said. "We have a lot of things to look forward."

Meanwhile, the Lady Bengals move on to face Holly Springs, the No. 1 seed from the Greater Neuse Conference.

"It's huge, especially in our conference," said Fuquay coach James Mountford. "Every night it's tough. There's no weak team in our conference. We're really pleased, it's a big accomplishment to make the playoffs."

The Lady Imps struck first when Kelly Glendenning tipped the ball on her right foot off a corner kick from Victoria Coronado 20:04 into the first half.

The Lady Bengals dominated shots on goal in the first period, but it wasn't until sophomore Sarah Yoder's sent it from the left side of the field to the right side of the net to make it 1-1 with 24:41 gone by.

White's goal in the 67th minute of the game gave Fuquay the lead, as the Lady Bengals finally controlled the ball like they wanted to, Mountford said.

"We played the ball to our feet better, to the ground," Mountford said. "To beat a defensive team like Cary, you have to keep the ball on the ground and spread it out."

The Lady Imps, however, were unable to convert on any of their four shots on goal in the second period.

"The biggest difference was, they finished their opportunities better we finished ours," Kerrigan said.