Eagles sweep Hoover, advance to quarterfinals
NORTH SHELBY -- Chris Blight couldn't have asked for a better start to the postseason.
On Tuesday evening, his Oak Mountain High School girls soccer team netted three goals in the first eight minutes of its Class 7A first-round playoff game against Hoover.
The Lady Eagles added two more goals over the final 82 minutes to claim a 5-2 victory.
"We prepared well for this, and we came out really fast," Blight said.
Julia Pack scored two of her team's early goals and finished the opening half with a hat trick. Her first strike came on a direct free kick in the third minute. Pack set up left of the Hoover 18-yard box and sailed a floating shot into the net's upper right corner.
"Honestly, I was crossing it, but it sort of just went in the goal," she said.
Pack took aim with clear intention four minutes later. This time, she ripped a ball from the middle of the box into the net's upper left corner. Pack completed her hat trick late in the first half when she directed a precise cross from teammate Hallie Campbell past the Hoover goalkeeper.
"Julia's a phenomenal talent. She raises everyone's game on the field," Blight said. "Technically, tactically, she's brilliant."
Pack's third goal pushed her team's lead to 4-1. The Lady Eagles held a 4-2 edge at the break after Hoover's Jordan Henderson scored two minutes shy of the halftime whistle. Hoover's Sarah Harrell and Oak Mountain's Hailey Whitaker also contributed first-half goals for their respective squads.
Less than 10 minutes into the second frame, Oak Mountain's Alison Nix added the final tally. She laced a one-timer into the right side of the net from approximately 15 yards out.
"I would have loved to have seen the game if those first 10 minutes didn't happen," said Hoover coach Will Patridge. "But my hat's off to Oak Mountain and Chris Blight. They were well prepared, and their girls played hard."
The Lady Eagles will play at Bob Jones this weekend in the state quarterfinals. In 2016, that's where their season reached a premature end. The team lost to Vestavia Hills 3-2.
Blight, in his first year as head coach, is determined to prevent another a similar outcome. He said his team will only improve as it progresses further into the playoffs.
"We didn't the see best us [tonight], and I think that gives us a little incentive to continue to work this week and to continue to practice hard, because we can be better," Blight said. "You'll see the best of us later in the year."
Boys
Oak Mountain senior Caleb Van Geffen watched the ball leave Kennedy Davis' foot. Instinctively, he knew what to do.
Run.
Van Geffen chased down Davis' perfectly placed chip pass and rocketed a shot on goal as he raced toward the 18-yard box. It deflected off the left post and bounded into the back of the net.
"I just took it down one time on my chest and let it bounce and just didn't even think about it," Van Geffen said. "I just hit it, because that's all you've got to do."
Van Geffen's first-half missile proved to be the deciding goal in Oak Mountain's 2-1 victory over Hoover Tuesday night in the first round of the 7A state playoffs. The Eagles led 2-0 at halftime and held on for the final 45 minutes.
"You have to fight and grind through these playoff games, and that's what we did," Oak Mountain coach Dan DeMasters said. "That's what we had to do."
Both of Oak Mountain's goals came in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Prior to his assist, Davis powered a penalty kick past Hoover's goalkeeper.
DeMasters said he isn't surprised that Davis, a four-year starter, stepped up in his team's do-or-die match.
"I mean, it's what he does," DeMasters said. "It's what he's always been great at, and it's what makes him probably the best player in the state."
Hoover dented the scoreboard midway through the second half on a David Turner free kick. Turner lined up outside the top of the 18-yard box and dipped a sizzling shot just under the crossbar.
But that's all the Bucs could muster.
Oak Mountain staved off a few late threats to preserve its victory and advance to the state quarterfinals. The Eagles, who are pursuing a third straight state title, will play Saturday at Grissom. A kickoff time has yet to be determined.
"We've got to prepare now to play away at someone else's place, which is even more high pressure," DeMasters said.
Spain Park
Spain Park High School’s trip to the Class 7A soccer playoffs turned out to be one and done for both the girls and the boys, as each team fell to host Vestavia Hills on Tuesday night.
The Jaguar girls were blanked by the Rebels by a 4-0 score, while the boys lost 5-1.
Brooks Rice scored the only goal of the night for Spain Park, as he converted from an extreme angle with just two minutes to play in the game.
The Jaguar boys finish with a 14-7-1 record, while the girls ended their season at 13-7-1.
- Robert Carter