INMAN, S.C. – A chance at history was at stake Thursday evening as the Palmetto Mustangs clashed with the Chapman Panthers in the 3A girls’ soccer playoffs. In a battle of wills, it came down to one shot as the Panthers prevailed 1-0 over the Mustangs.
Over the last 15 minutes of the first half, Chapman began to find their footing and put forth an aggressive attack, tallying six shots on goal. Two of those tries were close calls, as one barely missed just to the right of the net, and another hit the crossbar. That last portion of the half helped the Panthers settle in as they prepared for the second stanza. “Sometimes, it does take us a while to get started,” said senior Chloe Bishop. “But when we realize that we are here to do a job and need to get it done, it is like a switch that we turn on. We are nonstop and nothing can stop us once we turn it on.” “Every defense plays differently,” she added. “We realized what their weak spot was and that we could split them through that middle… and I think we used our speed to our advantage once we got past them.” In the 51st minute, sophomore Elliot Miller capitalized on an opportunity. She pressured a Mustang player into a turnover near the 18 yard box on the far side of the field, dribbled through some traffic, and fired a shot into the top left corner of the net for a 1-0 Panther lead. “We realized that we didn’t just have to make runs on the outside and could be more direct,” explained Miller. “We were also able to outlast them with our endurance. We kept fighting, kept pushing, and that got us to where we were.” “At halftime, (assistant coach Zoren) Rierson reminded us that we were not just playing for our seniors, but that we were also playing for (head coach Will) Maley. This is his last year and the seniors last year… we had to make sure that we got it together and gave them what they deserved.” The back and forth continued as the Panthers continued their attack, which resulted in more chances at the net. Defensively, Chapman’s alignment stymied the Mustangs and held Palmetto in check on the way to the shutout win. “Palmetto has some quality players,” said Chapman head coach Will Maley. “They are a good team. We couldn’t break them down and they couldn’t break us down. A 1-0 match seems pretty much on par for what this game should have been. It was a good effort by both sides. We fought like crazy, and we happened to get there at the right time to put the ball in the net.” Maley also was quick to point out how much the win meant to the history of the Chapman girls soccer program. “As long as I’ve been here,” he stated. “I have asked around and we have never been to the third round, so this is new territory for us. We are just trying to get the program some recognition. These girls have worked hard this season. We lost three games to either the number one, two, or third-ranked team in the state in their respective classifications. We are just trying to build a program here. Right now, our pipeline is pretty good, so we are having a good run.” Following the victory, Coach Maley – who is retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year – was recognized by athletic director Greg Wilson and principal Matt Davis and given a plaque for his 16 years of service with Chapman soccer. During his time at Chapman, Maley has served as head coach for both the boys and girls varsity teams. Chapman (12-4) will travel to Daniel in the third round of the playoffs on Saturday at 10:00 AM. BASEBALL: Emerald 1, Chapman 0 Hits were hard to come by Thursday evening as the Panthers hosted the Emerald Vikings in a 3A district four elimination game. Colt McPeters got the start and tossed four hitless innings for Chapman. Emerald drew consecutive walks to open the fifth and scored an unearned run on a Chapman error. In the final frame, Grayden Humphries and Chandler Cartee reached on a walk and Viking error, respectively, before each advanced 90 feet on a groundout. Kole Brown drew an intentional walk that loaded the bases for the Panthers, but the Vikings picked up a strikeout to end the game. Chapman will see six seniors graduate – Kole Brown, Cole Daugherty, Lawson Harris, Peyton Hodge, Hudson Moss, and Carson Seymour. Comments are closed.
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