BE girls' soccer wins second straight state title
The Bishop England girls’ soccer team had their moments in the Class AAA state playoffs. The Bishops blasted three foes and survived a monumental showdown against its top rival. Finally, the Bishops savored a state championship.
Bishop England defeated Powdersville 4-1 Saturday afternoon at Irmo High School to claim its second straight state title. The Bishops, who ended Powderville’s dream of a perfect season, own a 40-5-2 record over the past two seasons.
Bishop England opened the playoffs with a 13-0 victory over an overmatched Strom Thurmond squad and it was more of the same as the Bishops recorded lopsided victories over Battery Creek (6-0) and Swansea (5-0) before its monumental clash against Academic Magnet, the only recent challenger to the Bishops’ state superiority.
The Bishops and Raptors struggled for 110 minutes of regulation and overtime before the Bishops outscored Academic Magnet 4-3 in penalty kicks to advance with a 1-0 victory.
The Bishops were just as effective in last year’s playoffs when they outscored foes 24-1.
Saturday, against Powdersville, the Bishops settled the issue early when Lauren Berrigan scored in early in the first half. Kayla Vroman added a goal to give the Bishops the lead, and eventually, another state title.
It was the Bishops 12th state championship, which is second all-time in state history. Only Riverside, with 13 state titles, has more than the Bishops, according to the High School League’s “Palmetto Finest” record book.
BE BOYS' SOCCER
The Bishop England boys’ soccer team spent most of the season on top of the state rankings. But the Bishops didn’t stand on the victor’s platform at the end of the 2019 season.
The Bishops lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision to May River in the Class AAA Lower State championship. May River went on to win the state title with a 6-2 decision over Indian Land on Saturday.
The Bishops, who had dreams of a state record 18th state title, closed the season with a 20-5-2 record.
HANAHAN SOFTBALL
Hanahan’s bid for a third straight Class AAA state championship came to an end in a 7-1 loss to Battery Creek last Friday night.
The Hawks, who were playing out of the consolation bracket, needed to beat Battery Creek two times, but the Dolphins won the first game.
Battery Creek took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against Hawks’ pitcher Golden Thrower, and expanded the lead to 2-0 in the second inning. The Dolphins put the game out of reach with three runs in the fourth inning.
Thrower allowed five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings, striking out one and walking one.
Ashlyn Cribb and Jillian Courtney collected hits for the Hawks, who ended the season with a 24-6 record.
The Hawks were flawless in winning the District 7 title, and beat Aynor 4-0 in the first game of the Lower State Championship Series. But Battery Creek posted a 4-0 victory over the Hawks to send them into the consolation bracket.
The Hawks beat Aynor in an elimination game but came up short against the Dolphins.