By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — A well-placed corner kick from the right side by Hibriten junior midfielder Bella Hawkins midway through the second half curved into the upper left corner of Watauga’s net. It was all the Panthers needed on May 3 in the probable deciding title match of the Northwestern Conference regular season in defeating the Pioneers, 1-0.
It was a game of ebb-and-flow momentum, both sides playing exceptional defense and trading extended periods of offensive possession.
“We didn’t play our best,” admitted Watauga women’s soccer head coach Chris Tarnowski after the match, “but you have to give Hibriten a lot of credit. They beat us to the ball a lot of times and forced us to play their game instead of ours.”
With the win, Hibriten improves its overall record to 15-0-2 and 7-0-1 in regular season action for the 3A/4A Northwestern Conference. One of three 3A members of NWC (along with Ashe County and Freedom), the Panthers are ranked as the No.1 team in the North Carolina 3A West region and the No. 23 ranked team among all classifications in the entire state.
Watauga falls to 13-2-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the Northwestern Conference. Hibriten accounts for both the loss and the tie in league play.
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