BEARVILLE — Pierce County’s Lady Bears and Bears soccer teams recorded first round shutouts to advance to the second of the Class AA state playoffs.
The fifth-seed Region 3 champion Lady Bears (123) continued their impressive defensive play with a 12th consecutive victory and shutout beating 28thseed Columbia (5-6) 10-0 Thursday, April 23. They will host 12th-seed Shaw (8-11), who ousted 21stseed Ringgold 4-1, at 5 p.m., today (Wednesday, April 29).
The victory was the ninth straight in the first round for PCHS, which is playing in its 16th consecutive post-season since 2009. COVID halted the 2021 spring season.
The seventh-seed Bears (11-5), playing in the postseason for ninth consecutive year dating back to 2016, and 18th time in 19 years going back to 2007, recorded a 9-0 victory Friday, April 24 over 26thseed KIPP Collegiate (7-6). PCHS will host 23rdseed Spencer (6-3), a 3-0 victor over 10th-seed Butler, Friday, May 1. No time has been announced.
No. 5 Lady Bears .....10 No. 28 Columbia.......0
Jayli Sierra scored four goals and Maya Cochran three goals, leading the Lady Bears’ offensive eruption.
PCHS scored seven goals in the first half. The Lady Bears scored three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to have the match ended by the “mercy rule.”
Liza Thornton, Nevaeh Grant and Brylee Walker each contributed a goal.
Cochran and Cochran recorded two assists each while Aly Yeomans, Sierra and Walker added one apiece.
No. 7 Bears................9 No. 26 KIPP ..............0
Pierce County scored eight goals over the final 20 minutes of the first half to open up a 9-0 lead by the break en route to the win.
Alex Lacot and Cristian Romero each recorded a hat trick with three goals apiece. Fleming Cochran netted two goals with Mychal Jackson scoring one.
“I didn’t see this game getting this far out of reach that quickly,” said head coach Tommy Doss. “Though I thought we should have won, KIPP was an athletic team and had good speed. They competed well the whole game and had great sportsmanship. It is nice to see us do what we should do against a weaker team. Its easy to play down in those types of games.”
