Friday March 29th, 2024 5:06AM

Girls soccer: North Hall outfights Eagles Landing for 1-0 playoff win

GAINESVILLE — The North Hall girls soccer team expected Eagles Landing's best shot on Wednesday.

The Lady Trojans took it -- and then delivered the knockout blow, as they battled their way to a 1-0 win over Eagles in the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs in Gainesville.

Katie Estrada provide the lone goal -- converting a penalty kick late in the second half after Mallory Land was hacked down in the Eagles Landing penalty area -- but there was no doubting who the heroes were after the showdown.

"We knew it was going to be a physical game, and our midfield and defense made the difference in that; we matched their physicality or exceeded them even," North Hall coach Gary Gaddy said. "Our girls hustled for everything. I'm so proud of their effort."

Those efforts pushed the third-seeded Lady Trojans (11-7) into the state quarterfinals, where they will travel to face top-ranked Marist on Saturday.

"These girls believe in themselves and each other; they play well together," Gaddy said. "We've played a lot more talented teams than us this season and have had positive results. And they're going there to compete; that's what they want to do every game."

Players like Maddie Cook, Bekah Stephens and Lauren Tymchuck certainly took the game to Eagles Landing on Wednesday, battling for every ball in midfield. Meanwhile, Sarah Hollifield helped shut down the Eagles' attack, as the Lady Trojans center back anchored her backline.

"It was our work there that finally made them crack and make a mistake," said Gaddy, who watched as Land gathered a cross and turned it into a one-on-one with the Eagles Landing keeper before being hacked down from behind to set up the winning goal.

"This is really putting us back to where we want to be, and they've really taken hold of this season," Gaddy said. "The girls know they have a huge challenge Saturday, but the things we'll have to do well are also the things we excel at, so we know what we have to do."

Game time for Saturday in Atlanta is to be determined.

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