CARY – History repeated itself in 2015 as Panther Creek women’s soccer head coach David Grant lead his squad to its second consecutive undefeated regular season, boasting a 14-0-2 record after finishing 18-0-1 the year before. The only thing missing from Grant’s resume? A state championship ring, something that barely slipped through his fingertips as Panther Creek fell to Hough 1-0 in double-overtime during last year’s 4A championship match.

“We are definitely a little bit more driven this year because we have some graduating seniors that want to head out on a good note,” Grant said.

Grant has made it clear to his players he expects their all in an effort to make another playoff run.

“(Grant) is a great coach who motivates us in everything we do,” said senior attacking midfielder Lindsay Pasteris (19 SOG, 1 assist). “We are even more motivated now than ever, and it really shows in our hard work during practices and games.”

This year’s team is anchored by a senior class that features six players committed to continue their playing career at the next level (Rachael Everhart, Emma Socha: UNC-Charlotte, Celeste Barnard: Middle Tennessee State, Briana Velasquez: Marshall, Reylene Alberti: Lenoir-Rhyne, Justine James: UNC-Asheville). Everhart, James and Barnard were all nominated to play in the “Clash of the Carolinas” match, nominated for their performance and leadership on the field.


Looking for an excuse to make a summer road trip to Charleston? Here’s #ClashOfTheCarolinas information. pic.twitter.com/PL2h3QxHjD

— CatamountsLIVE (@CatamountsLIVE) April 22, 2015

“Being able to join a team with established leadership is a great way to start the season,” said junior midfielder Brittany Matsinger (2 goals, 1 assist). “We didn’t have to wait until the middle of the season to find leaders, which is why I think we’ve had such great success as a team.” Junior midfielder Sydney Rucker (1 goal, 1 assist) believes that the strong senior leadership this year has paved an exemplary path for the team’s younger players. “The leaders are not only there to make things run smoothly,” Rucker said. “They are there to encourage others, strengthen others, and guide others as role models.” The biggest difference from this year’s squad and those of the past is defensive dominance, as the Catamounts allowed only four goals (two of which were penalty kicks) during the regular season as opposed to 10 in 2014. Panther Creek hasn’t allowed multiple goals in a game since April 10th, 2013 (a 4-2 win over Apex). 

Panther Creek is 14-0-2 on season. The Cary-based team has allowed only four goals all season, including 12 shutouts. — Purnell Swett High (@SwettAthletics) May 11, 2015

The addition of senior striker Emma Socha, who missed all of 2014 with an ACL injury, has also been vital to the Catamounts’ offense. Socha was second on the team in points (10 goals, 4 assists) during the regular season.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to play last year…however, knowing how my friends felt about losing and me having to miss out has motivated me and the entire team immensely,” Socha said. “There’s nothing we want more than to go all the way and get a ring this year and there’s nothing stopping us from doing our very best to do that.”

Despite winning the state championship being a team goal since the preseason, senior goalkeeper Celeste Barnard (13 clean sheets) says Grant works to keep the team focused on the present. “He continuously reminds us to take it one day at a time,” Barnard said. “With the sadness that the soccer program dealt with earlier in the year, he also reminds us to enjoy everyday and to be thankful that we are able to play the sport we enjoy so much.”

When it all comes down to what has made Panther Creek women’s soccer so dominant, senior striker Emily Jonczyk (3 SOG, 1 assist) says it’s the family feel and team chemistry.

“The team is like a family. We work for not only the name on the front of our jersey, but the person beside us,” Jonczyk said. “We all want the same thing so we push one another to do all we can to achieve our ultimate goal.

“(Grant) works us hard at practice but never forgets to let us have team dinners off the field, which really makes our team feel like a family,” senior striker Justine James (12 goals, 3 assists) added.

Panther Creek hosts Purnell Swett (9-9-1) on May 13 at 6pm. The Purnell Swett Rams (Pembroke, NC) were fairly inconsistent in 2015, finishing 2-9-1 after a 7-0-0 start , but have still shown flashes of brilliance on the offensive end of the pitch, scoring 53 times during the regular season. When they do score, it’s in bunches, as the Rams averaged 5.44 goals per game in their nine wins.

Panther Creek will be looking to bounce back following a disappointing tie with Green Hope on May 6.

“Coming off of that tie I think it just humbles you a little bit. Yeah, we went undefeated, but you’ve got a team that had four or five losses come in and could nearly beat you at any point,” Grant said. “Hopefully it scared us a little bit moving forward. Does it worry us, though? No.”

Grant believes this team is more well-rounded than any Panther Creek soccer team of the past.

“We aren’t relying on any one player. We’re not saying ‘Hey, Justine you go and win us the game’ or ‘Celeste you have to step up and win us the game tonight,’ it’s been evenly spread out for the most part not only in goals and assists, but defensively,” Grant said. “We have the ability where we have so much talent in this program that there have been times where some of our starters have sat an entire game and we’ve still won.”

“It’s nice as a coach to be able to sit back and say ‘Hey, we can win games without you.'”

If Panther Creek defeats Purnell Swett on Wednesday, they would face the winner of Sanderson vs. New Hanover on May 15/16. The Catamounts would have to win five games in order to earn an opportunity to play the top team out of the western bracket, which could be a team they’ve seen before.

The sole out-of-conference goal conceded by Panther Creek came during their road trip to Myers Park on April 18 (the teams tied 1-1). Since then, Myers Park has been dominant, winning three of their final seven matches by mercy rule (Editor’s Note: Myers Park also won their first round playoff game by mercy rule). Knowing they can keep up with powerhouses in the western bracket has given the Catamounts a sort of confidence heading into a potential state championship match-up.

“We have learned from our mistakes and are ready for the challenge,” James said. “We know what to expect and we are not going to let anything get in the way of winning a state championship title.”

UPDATES:

First Round (5/13): Panther Creek (3) 9-0 Purnell Swett (30)

• The Catamounts soared ahead early, building up an 8-0 lead heading into halftime before Ashley Bui’s goal early in the second half ended the game as a mercy rule. Eight different ladies scored in the match, and Lindsay Pasteris and Briana Velasquez each had two assists. The game was a historic one for the Purnell Swett Rams, who clinched their first playoff berth in school history. The Catamounts were the only team on the eastern side of the bracket to win by mercy rule in the first round.

Second Round (5/15): Panther Creek (3) 2-0 Sanderson (14)

• Panther Creek dominated possession all game against a young Sanderson team, but an outstanding night in goal from Spartan goalkeeper Libby Stancil (13 saves) kept the scoreline close. Hollie Cartwright scored late in the first half on a cross/shot that found the top left corner. Seven minutes into the second half, Brittany Matsinger buried the ball into top right corner to give the Catamounts a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the night (Justine James assist). Sanderson would record their first (and only) shot on goal in the 73rd minute.
• Ian Pierno’s N&O Recap: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/cary-news/cn-sports/article21143817.html

Third Round (5/20): Panther Creek (3) vs. Leesville Road (22)

• Leesville defeated East Chapel Hill 4-2 in penalty kicks after neither team scored in regulation/overtime.

2015 Women's Soccer Championships 4A