NC Girls Soccer state finals: Problem-solving Knights are a solution away from 4A crown

They’re problem-solvers.

Put an obstacle in front of the Ardrey Kell High girls’ soccer team, and they’ll always try to solve it — even if it means taking a chance.

Near the end of the regular season, head coach Kim Montgomery took her team to the Asheville area for matches against a pair of traditional girls’ soccer powers.

The Knights rented a large house in the mountains and arrived just before dark, only to find something in the house wasn’t working properly.

As darkness descended, Montgomery and her assistant, Heather Frelin, gathered up their courage and crawled under the house, determined to make the repairs themselves.

She said they weren’t deterred by the thought of what other living creatures might be under the house.

“Hey, we figured we could do it ourselves,” said Montgomery, adding that the intrepid duo wasn’t successful. “The next morning, they sent someone out and got it fixed.”

But that beat-the-obstacles mentality is among the reasons why Ardrey Kell (25-1-1) is playing Saturday for the 4A state championship.

The Knights will face Cardinal Gibbons (15-6-2) in the final, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at the WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary.

Ardrey Kell is among three Mecklenburg County teams playing for a girls’ state soccer title this weekend, with Lake Norman Charter (3A) and Christ the King (1A) also in the finals.

On the field, Ardrey Kell also has found ways around problems.

Sophomore forward Taylor Suarez, the team’s leading scorer, left the Knights in mid-April to play for three weeks with the Under-17 Team USA squad.

“The first match without her was right after Easter break, against South Mecklenburg,” Montgomery said. “I think our team learned a lot about itself in that match. They learned to adjust.”

The Knights suffered their only loss of the season that night, but they were a changed team afterwards.

“No team can depend on one player,” said junior defender Carly Montgomery, the coach’s daughter and a University of Florida commit. “We learned to adapt.”

Another junior defender, Kayley Newman, added, “By the second half (of the South Meck match), we were already creating a lot of scoring chances. That’s how I knew we could adjust.”

By the time Suarez returned in early May, the Knights had learned to thrive in her absence.

“I followed what they were doing, while I was gone,” Suarez said. “It was exciting to watch.”

Sometimes the adjustments have been internal.

Kim Montgomery said senior goalkeeper Emily Casey has learned to change her style, to deal with … well, we’ll let the coach describe it.

“She’s only about 5 feet tall,” Montgomery said of Casey. “She’s a lot shorter than a lot of the other teams’ strikers. So she’s learned how to play like she’s 6 feet tall.”

Casey is aggressive in defending the goal. If she sees a chance to run out from the box and snag a ball before a breaking opponent can shoot, she’ll do it.

Sometimes it backfires, as was the case Tuesday in a 3-2 semifinal victory over Page. The Page striker got to the ball first, lofting it over Casey’s head and into the goal.

But the vast majority of times this season, Casey has made the save and stopped the threat.

“She is absolutely fearless,” Montgomery said.

The Knights are a young team. Most of their leading scorers are freshmen and sophomores.

“That mix of younger players and experienced players has worked for us,” she said. “The freshmen and sophomores play hard for the seniors. The whole group has made this a fun season.”

Here’s a look at the girls’ soccer championship matches that involve Charlotte-area teams:

Class 4A

Ardrey Kell (25-1-1) vs. Cardinal Gibbons (15-6-2)

Where: WakeMed Soccer Complex, Cary

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

Scouting Ardrey Kell: Taylor Suarez (17 goals, 12 assists) leads the Knights. She appeared to sprain her right ankle late in Tuesday’s match but seemed to be walking well afterwards. Freshmen Grace Meyers (13 goals) and Ellie Riechman (10 goals, team-high 21 assists) are other scoring leaders. Junior Carly Montgomery leads the defense, with Emily Casey (0.337 goals-against average) in goal.

Scouting Cardinal Gibbons: The Crusaders finished only third in the Cap 6 4A but have caught fire in postseason and have won 10 straight. They have a flair for the dramatic, scoring in the last second of overtime to beat Chapel Hill in the quarterfinals and then rallying past Hoggard in the semifinals. Senior Almira Adibelli leads the offense, and sophomore Katie Jurgens has scored several clutch goals.

History: Both programs have been to championship matches. Ardrey Kell is 0-3 in the finals, losing to Leesville Road in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Cardinal Gibbons won state titles in 2007 (2A) and 2013 (3A), and finished second in 2010, 2011 and 2017.

Class 3A

Lake Norman Charter (25-1) vs. Eastern Alamance (21-3-1)

Where: WakeMed Soccer Complex, Cary.

When: 11 a.m. Saturday

Scouting Lake Norman Charter: The Knights have demolished nearly all of their competition this season, outscoring opponents 189-11. They’ve scored more than twice the number of goals that Eastern Alamance has scored this spring.

Lake Norman Charter’s offense operated like a video game, often producing multiple goals in the first few minutes of a match. Leaders of the attack are seniors Eliza Rich and Haven Stanley. Rich has 59 goals and 30 assists, and Stanley has 47 goals and 39 assists. The Knights average 23 shots per match.

If an opponent is able to get past a rock-solid midfield, goalkeeper Imani Anzaya has a 0.556 goals-against average.

Scouting Eastern Alamance: The Eagles have won 16 in a row. They can be scored on, having surrendered five goals in the last two matches, but they also respond well. Junior Molly Widderich has scored on 28 of her 38 shots this season. Freshman Abby Brinker has 23 goals and 11 assists. Karsyn Johnson’s goals-against average (0.587) compares favorably with that of Lake Norman Charter’s Anzaya.

History: Lake Norman Charter is going for its second straight state title, having taken the 2A crown last year. The Knights also won in 2013, as a 1A school, and finished second in 2018 and 2019. They have been a state power under coach David Crutchfield. Eastern Alamance is a relative newcomer to this. The Eagles reached the state finals only once, losing in 1998.

Class 1A

Christ the King (17-2) vs. Woods Charter (19-0-2)

Where: WakeMed Soccer Complex, Cary.

When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Scouting Christ the King: Most fans probably expected Union Academy to be here, but the traditional state power was blanked 3-0 by Christ the King in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Crusaders have relied a lot on defense this season, anchored by goalkeeper Whitney Loro (0.416 goals-against average). Anna Bowman (15 goals) and Elle Gorman (19 assists) lead the offense.

Scouting Woods Charter: Coach Graeme Stewart calls sophomore Leyloa Noronha (50 goals, 14 assists) a “game-changer.” The Chapel Hill-based Wolves are a powerhouse, outscoring their four playoff opponents by a 20-0 margin. Backing up Noronha are juniors Lucy Miller (25 goals, 18 assists) and Chloe Richard (20 goals).

History: This is brand new territory for these teams. Each school is making its first appearance in a girls’ soccer final.