After not attacking the ball quite aggressively enough early in the game, Polk County High School’s soccer team took control and defeated Wilkes Central, 4-1 at Polk in Wednesday’s first round of state playoff action.
Shelby’s Golden Lions blanked Mt. Pleasant 6-0 on Wednesday to reach the second round.
On Wednesday, against Wilkes Central, Polk scored first with 2:32 left in the first half. After the Wilks’ goalie blocked one shot, Polk’s Ellese Cash booted one into the net.
This was after Polk became more aggressive around the ball. “I thought we showed some nerves in the first twenty minutes,” reflected Wolverines’ head coach Lennox “Rock” Charles. “Part of that,” Charles said, “was due to Wilkes Central. They (W-C) did a good job of possessing the ball coming out of their defense. Wilkes Central did an unbelievable job of attacking the ball.”
Charles said much of this with a smile after the game, as his team took good control for most of the remainder and, of course, was three goals up at the end.
Polk was unable to shift the momentum entirely after that first goal, and Wilkes put one through with just 50 second left in the first half to tie the score 1-1.
But, the Wolverines scored twice in the first seven minutes of the second half, both times on boots by Megan Clements – the game-winner with 38:53 left and an insurance goal with 33:07 on the clock. That third Polk goal came via a penalty kick.
Polk’s hard-kicking Lyric Flood, who was denied a chance for a goal earlier when one of her rockets went off the leg of a defender, lined the ball into the net with 26:03 on the clock to put the Wolverines ahead 4-1. Charles was pleased that his team scored a flurry of goals early in the second half, but did not take it as a given. “If I told you I planned on scoring that fast, I’d be lying,” he smiled.
Charles said of Clements’s first goal – the one that made it 2-1, “That early goal was huge.” He said, “Wilkes-Central was a little deflated,” which he felt allowed Polk to score the next goal to make it 3-1. Charles praised first-year goal tender Kara Overholt, whom he said is progressing well in spite of little initial experience.
Polk finished its regular season at 17-5-1, but that’s all behind them in the state tournament.  “We know we’ll have our hands full (against Shelby),” Charles noted.