The Hibriten Panther boys soccer team lost Thursday night 4-1 to the Hickory Red Tornadoes in the fourth round of the NC High School Athletic Association 3A playoffs.
The Panthers finish the 2023 season with a 19-4-3 overall record and a 9-1 mark in the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference.
The battle between the two tied teams started with a good defensive effort from both teams.
Hickory struck first at 18:59 in the first half when sophomore Braden McCourt found the back of the net to put the Red Tornadoes up 1-0.
Hibriten senior captain midfielder Nick Hawkins suffered an ankle injury in the first half that prevented his return to the game.
Later in the game, injuries to senior midfielder Tyler Roberts and senior goalkeeper Kenyen Ferguson severely hampered the Panthers’ offensive and defensive capabilities.
The Red Tornadoes took advantage of the situation and senior midfielder Joesue Leal scored a goal with 10:48 left in the first half to give Hickory a 2-0 lead.
Both teams continued to have scoring opportunities throughout the remainder of the first half, but were unable to score and Hickory led 2-0 at halftime.
The Red Tornadoes increased their lead in the second half when Justin Ortiz scored just a few minutes into the half to make it 3-0.
Nearly a minute later, Hickory forward Josh Herring found the back of the net to extend Hickory’s lead to 4-0.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard again when Hibriten earned a penalty with 4:39 left, and senior forward Miguel Ayala scored a goal to make it 4-1.
The battle continued for the remainder of the game, but injuries took their toll on the Panthers, and Hickory earned a 4–1 victory to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Before the game, Hibriten head coach Jim Blanton was concerned about losing key players and he said losing more players to injury in Thursday night’s game had a huge impact on the game.
“We were playing with limited starters. Eric (Meza) hadn’t played since the South Caldwell game. We missed Tristan Newcomb’s speed. Nick (Hawkins) is the heart and soul of the team,” Blanton said.
Hickory will face the Enka Jets on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the regional championship round.
Enka is 20-5-1 overall and 7-5 in the Mountain 3A/4A Conference.
