"We're ready': Hoggard girls soccer dismantles Ashley in shutout
· Yahoo Sports
Hoggard girls soccer no longer has to wonder where it stands. The Vikings have taken clear control of the Carolina Coast Conference, and they are not letting go.
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Hoggard (9-1-1, 6-0 CC) came out flying and never let up, rolling past Ashley 5-0 at home Tuesday, April 13, to push its lead atop the standings to two games. F
“We’re showing that we are the team that we can be this season,” Hoggard junior Brielle Archer said. “We didn’t come to play. We’re ready.”
Ashley has become something of a thorn in Hoggard’s side in recent years. The Vikings entered just 2-5-1 against the Screaming Eagles since 2023. Tuesday felt different. It looked different, too.
Hoggard broke through early when sophomore Graysen Fisher slipped behind the defense and finished off a clean assist from Archer. The breakthrough opened the floodgates. Just eight minutes later, sophomore Airlie Altman added a brace as the Vikings overwhelmed Ashley in the opening half.
By halftime, Hoggard held a 15-1 edge in shots and full control of the match.
The Vikings finished with 27 shots on goal to Ashley’s three, a lopsided stat line that reflected the run of play. For coach Justin Schatz, it was the clearest version yet of what this group can be.
“We’re just all connected,” Schatz said. “We all work for each other and we don’t really care who gets the credit.”
That connection has shown up across the roster, including in goal. Senior AK Chance recorded the shutout, making three saves. Her journey to the soccer field this spring, however, came as a suprise.
A standout on Hoggard’s girls basketball team that reached the program’s first state championship this winter, Chance had not played soccer since middle school. But with injuries thinning the goalkeeper room, she stepped in without hesitation.
“I just happened to bump into her at school and said, ‘Hey, this is the kind of predicament we’re in,’” Schatz said. “She said, ‘I want to help Hoggard out, I’ll come out and play.’ That’s the type of kid she is. She bleeds Hoggard blue.”
It is a group built on buy-in and belief. Through six conference matches, the Vikings have allowed just two goals. And with performances like Tuesday, the message is getting louder.
“We’re going for the state championship,” Altman said. “We’re gonna keep going. We’re gonna keep winning.”
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hoggard girls soccer throttles Ashley, extends conference lead