BLYTHWOOD โ The Blythewood girls soccer team is locked in second place behind Clover in Region 3-5A, with the Bengals finishing off their regional berth with a 4-0 shutout win over Spring Valley on Friday.
Madison Powell kicked the opening goal, then Ayres Eva scored back-to-back goals in the first half for Blythwood, which was capped off with a goal from Amiyah Watts around the 60th minute.
“We're working hard,” Blythewood head coach Alyssa Farris said. “We've had some injuries, we've had to make adjustments, and we have some non-region games next week to keep things on track, but right now we're just focused on the playoffs.”
With the win, Blythewood improves to 10-6 overall and 7-3 district. The Bengals and Nation Ford were tied at 6-3 in the regional standings heading into Friday's game, with Blythewood grabbing the tiebreaker in terms of points scored. On Friday night, the Falcons (10-7, 6-4) lost 4-3 in double overtime at Fort Mill, leaving the Bengals alone in second place.
Blythewood opens the 5A playoffs on Tuesday, April 30th with a home game against Spartanburg, the fourth place team in Region 2-5A.
Meanwhile, the Bengals played against AC Flora on Wednesday night and at home against White Knoll on Friday night to get in shape for the postseason.
Faris is in his second year as the Bengals coach. Her first year was on an interim basis as her former head coach, Kathy Knight, continues her battle with cancer. She was named head coach before this season, her first official job as a head coach.
“I love it. It's a big responsibility, but I love building relationships with the girls and being there for them,” she said. “I'm having fun while they're playing soccer.”