Seaforth survives Franklin Academy to advance to regional final
One win separates Seaforth girls soccer from a trip to Matthews for next weekend's state championship match.
Sofia Viana linked up with Caitlin Erman in the 53rd minute to secure a 1-0 victory over top-seeded Franklin Academy on Thursday night.
Though the scoreboard read 1-0, neither team was able to defeat daylight. An early evening thunderstorm pushed the game's start time back by 80 minutes, and subsequently forced officials to end the match in the 75th minute due to darkness.
The Hawks broke through after Erman corralled the ball in the midfield and located Viana ahead of the pack. Viana placed a perfect through ball back to the junior who went lower left for her 49th goal of the year. The duo has now combined for 107 goals this season. Both sit Top-40 nationally in goals scored with Viana (68) leading the state and sitting eighth in the country.
Between the pipes, Katie Leonard stood tall to limited Franklin Academy's counter attack. Officials ended the game with 5:43 left after her silhouette, illuminated by only the glow of the scoreboard behind her, made the game's final stop.
Seaforth will welcome Clinton back to Chatham County on Tuesday night for round five. Three weeks ago, the Dark Horses made the trip to Seaforth and suffered a late season 5-0 non-conference loss to the Hawks.
Viana and Erman scored two goals each in the while Regan Willauer added the fifth.
That night sparked a three-game losing streak to close out the season for Clinton. Since the calendar turned over to postseason play, the Dark Horses have outscored opponents 17-2 including a 2-0 win against defending state champion Manteo in round three, and a 1-0 win over Roanoke Rapids in round four.
