Ardrey Kell-Weddington highlights girls prep soccer regional finals play
It’s the last stop before the state championships in high school girls soccer, and Tuesday night’s West Regional finals are loaded:
▪ Six of the eight teams are from the Charlotte area.
▪ A regional final featuring teams only 5 miles apart.
▪ Two matchups of No. 1 vs. No. 2 seeds.
▪ Two defending state champions and a state runner-up from 2023 are playing.
The Charlotte area is guaranteed a team in this weekend’s state championship matches in 4A and 1A, with local teams squaring off Tuesday night in the West Regional finals.
A lot of the attention will be focused on the 4A West final, with No. 4 seed Ardrey Kell visiting top-seeded Weddington.
Ardrey Kell lost the state 4A finale on penalty kicks last season and already owns a 3-0 victory this season against Weddington. The two teams met in a Feb. 28 season-opener at Weddington, and Ardrey Kell coach Kim Montgomery noted last week that the two teams know each other well.
“A lot of our girls grew up playing club soccer together,” Montgomery said.
The 1A regional championship has fourth-seeded Union Academy visiting defending state champion and top seed Christ the King. Union Academy won 1A state titles in 2018 and ’19.
The 3A West final has top seed South Point hosting No. 2 West Henderson. Neither team has reached a state championship match before.
And in 2A, top seed Pine Lake Prep hosts unbeaten No. 2 seed Wheatmore, which is among the state’s highest-scoring teams and won the state championship last season.
Here is a look at Tuesday’s West Regional finals:
Class 4A
Ardrey Kell (23-3-1) at Weddington (21-4)
Time, location: 7 p.m., Weddington High (NFHS Network)
Series history: Weddington leads 4-3-1. Ardrey Kell won 3-0 this season and 3-1 last year. Weddington won four meetings in a row before that.
Scouting Ardrey Kell: Junior Taylor Suarez scored in the first game this season against Weddington and leads the team (33 goals, 27 assists), followed by senior Carly Montgomery (15 goals, 14 assists). The Knights’ trademark is defense, with junior keeper Caroline McSweeney sporting a 0.42 goals-against average.
Scouting Weddington: The Warriors, who won 3A state titles in 2016 and ’17, have a balanced attack, led by freshman Paige Santos (18 goals) and senior Karly Connell (15 goals). Sophomore goalkeeper Madison Motto (0.85 goals-against average) leads the defense. Weddington has won 12 in a row.
Winner faces: Chapel Hill-Ashley winner.
Class 3A
West Henderson (23-3) at South Point (21-0-3)
Time, location: 6:30 p.m., South Point High, Belmont (NFHS Network).
Series history: The teams have met once, with South Point winning 4-0 last May in the 3A quarterfinals.
Scouting West Henderson: The Falcons lost to South Point in the quarterfinals last year. They have run roughshod over mountain opponents this season but lost to 4A powers Asheville and T.C. Roberson. They are coming off what was arguably their best outing of the season, a 2-0 quarterfinal victory over defending 3A champ Lake Norman Charter. Junior Marianne Maxon leads the attack (49 goals, 22 assists), the rugged defense (goalkeeper Ava Heffner has a 0.5 goals-against average) will challenge South Point’s explosive offense.
Scouting South Point: The Raiders, who lost in the West finals a year ago, are enjoying a dream season, averaging nearly seven goals on offense and just 0.42 on defense. Senior Grace Smith is finishing her high school career in style. She scored five goals in her team’s 7-0 rout of St. Stephens last Thursday and has 49 goals and 21 assists on the season. Junior Lexi Birtwistle (26 goals, 23 assists) and freshman Mackenzie Crill (23 goals, 11 assists) also are threats.
Winner faces: Jacksonville-Eastern Alamance winner (Eastern Alamance is defending 3A state champion).
Class 2A
Wheatmore (23-0) at Pine Lake Prep (20-1-2)
Time, location: 6 p.m., Pine Lake Prep, Mooresville (NFHS Network).
Series history: First meeting.
Scouting Wheatmore: The Warriors post video-game numbers, averaging more than 8.5 goals per match and allowing 0.5. Junior Ellie Garrison leads the state in goals (92) and scoring (198 points), and senior Summer Bowman has 58 goals. Wheatmore, which lost in the 2A finals a year ago, had to scramble last Thursday to beat Community School of Davidson 2-1. For comparison, Pine Lake Prep beat Community School of Davidson 2-1 and 3-0 this season.
Scouting Pine Lake Prep: This is a young team, featuring mostly sophomores and juniors. Sophomore Avery Garrett (19 goals, 35 assists) and junior Maddyson Kerley (16 goals) lead what is a balanced attack. The defense is stingy, allowing 0.6 goals per match. The Pride dominated powerhouse Hendersonville 3-0 last Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Winner faces: Manteo-Clinton winner. Wheatmore beat Clinton for the 2A title a year ago.
Class 1A
Union Academy (22-3) at Christ the King (15-2-3)
Time, location: 7 p.m., Christ the King High, Huntersville.
Series history: The teams are 1-1 against each other. This is a rematch of the 2022 West Regional final, which Christ the King won 3-0.
Scouting Union Academy: The Cardinals might be a year away from their peak, led by juniors Katie Cunningham (40 goals, 24 assists), Shania Coppin (33 goals) and Heidi Estrade-Aguilar (29 goals, 25 assists). Goalkeeper McKayla Ashfield also is a junior. The Cardinals won 1A state championships in 2018 and ’19.
Scouting Christ the King: The Crusaders are defending 1A state champions and have improved steadily during the season. Defense is their trademark, with junior goalkeeper Elizabeth Navola sporting a sparkling 0.31 goals-against average. She has 12 shutouts this season. Senior Katie Reyes (15 goals) leads a balanced offense.
Winner faces: Hobbton-Woods Charter winner.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle
