BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN – Following hard-fought first round games, the Auburn High School girls and boys soccer teams entered Friday night’s monumental quarterfinal matchups versus Montgomery Academy determined to keep their championship hopes alive.
And after 160 combined minutes, tears of joy and tears of anguish soaked Duck Samford Stadium’s turf as the Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Eagles 2-0 and a late collapse doomed the Tigers to a 4-1 season-ending loss to the Eagles.
Following the victory, the Lady Tigers improve to 19-3-1 while the Lady Eagles end their 2024/25 campaign with an 11-4-3 record. With the defeat, the Tigers finish their season with a 14-8-1 record while the Eagles advance at 17-5-2.
As the girls’ game began, the action initiated earnestly, with both teams producing looks at goal and fighting to control the pace of play. And for 38 minutes, AHS and MA fought to a frustrating stalemate.
Then, with 1:52 left before halftime, Camilla Bosman put the Lady Tigers on the scoreboard with a world-class, one-touch goal that left her left foot and looped over the MA goalkeeper from 23 yards out. That left-footed strike came after it appeared that Allison Cobb refused to give up on a pass and played the ball back into the middle of the field.
Coming out of halftime up 1-0 over the Lady Eagles, it would not take the Lady Tigers anywhere close to the same amount of time to find their second goal.
That responsibility fell to Claire Nappier, who received a decisive pass from Paige Martin and cut inside toward the defense from the left wing. After receiving the pass, Nappier easily beat the MA goalkeeper high and inside the near post with a gorgeous left-footed curling shot close to the edge of the box roughly four minutes into the second half.
The Lady Eagles made some effort after the second goal to work their way back into the match, but a smothering defensive effort and constant offensive pressure from the Lady Tigers snuffed out any hope of a comeback.
In similar fashion, the boys’ match started slowly as both teams looked to test the other’s strategy.
While the Tigers created a handful of chances, it was the Eagles who struck first with 8:38 remaining before halftime. That goal came courtesy of defenders, midfielders and forwards all advancing the ball almost the entire length of the field for an improbable high, looping finish.
With their season on the line, it was then AHS’ turn to produce a magisterial team goal. As the clock hit 29 minutes left in regulation, a pack of hard-charging Tigers advanced up the left wing and lofted a high cross to Clifton Pace. After receiving the cross, Pace played a clean pass across the face of the goal to Coan Park, who emphatically finished the play with a header and tied the game.
However, that draw would not last long. Just eight minutes later, an Eagles forward struck an otherworldly 25-yard shot that could not be saved following a throw-in from deep inside AHS’ third of the field.
From there, it would only take 37 seconds for MA to score their third goal of the game after an Auburn defender panicked and brought down an Eagles player in the box. That penalty was ultimately converted.
The final goal came with 4:37 left to play after a MA corner kick bounced around in the box amidst a mass of bodies, and an Eagles player opportunistically tapped it past everyone.
What’s Next
The Lady Tigers will face McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A semifinals on Thursday, May 8, at 9 a.m. That game will take place at John Hunt Park in Huntsville on either Field 1 or Field 2