Seahawks fly back to girls’ 3-A Lower State soccer final

Though Hilton Head Island never looked particularly threatened in Friday night’s Class 3-A Lower State girls’ soccer semifinal against St. James, there’s always the danger of letting your opponent hang around too long.

Yet there the Seahawks were, protecting a one-goal lead as the clock ticked under 20 minutes to go against St. James. And for a split second, their expected trip back to the Lower State final could have been in a little more doubt.

Goalkeeper Sydney Segars stopped a shot from near point-blank range in the 63rd minute, and the Seahawks finally got an insurance goal 7 minutes later as Valentina Palacio converted a penalty kick for a 4-2 victory.

The victory sent Hilton Head back to its usual place in the Lower State championship, where they will play host Monday night against the winner of Friday night’s Myrtle Beach/Brookland-Cayce semifinal.

“You never want to let them hang around like that, especially in a playoff game,” Seahawks coach Ernie Suozzi said. “But I wasn’t too concerned. The girls know what to do.”

Lexi Lainhart, Esther Anderson and Lydia Novak also scored for the Seahawks, who are seeking their fifth state title in six years, having seen their run interrupted last year in a state final loss to Dreher.

“We want to get our trophy back,” Suozzi said.

The Seahawks held a 2-0 lead early in the second half after Anderson’s goal, but struggled to defend St. James’ set pieces as the Sharks wouldn’t go away.

Coral Holt broke free off a free kick to bring the Sharks within 2-1 and, after Novak scored from just inside the box to restore a 3-1 lead, St. James’ Bethany Goodrich cleaned up a ball that came loose inside the Seahawks’ box.

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 10:47 PM with the headline "Seahawks fly back to girls’ 3-A Lower State soccer final."