RALEIGH – Cary Green Hope capped a perfect season and blanked Cornelius W.A. Hough 2-0 on Saturday afternoon to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A women’s soccer championship before a large crowd at Dail Soccer Field at North Carolina State University.

Green Hope avenged a loss in last year’s final, as it was a rematch of last year’s state 4-A title match in which Sarah Moon scored two goals in the final 11 minutes to lift Hough to a 2-1 victory over Green Hope.

 Senior forward Alexis Shaffer, who scored the initial goal of the game and had an excellent all-around performance, was named the championship Most Valuable Player.

 Green Hope took a 1-0 lead in the 33^rd minute when Shaffer took the ball down the right side, wheeled back to the left and fired a left-footed shot into the back of the net for her 39^th goal of the season. The Falcons had the better of play for most of the first half.

 In the second half, as Hough pressed forward in the final minutes, Green Hope junior midfielder Kenley Sigmon found the ball in space, dribbled through a couple of defenders and then buried a shot for the 2-0 margin with 6:34 remaining.

  Senior keeper Lisa Armstrong recorded the shutout in goal, with seven saves.

Green Hope completed a perfect 28-0 season and has not lost since its defeat in last year’s state championship game. Hough finished the year 21-3 overall and had a seven-match win streak snapped.

Hough was in the finals for the second straight year in just the third year of the school’s existence.

The Raleigh Sports Consortium serves as the primary host city partner for the women’s soccer championship, along with the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

STATE 4-A WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP

Dail Soccer Field, N.C. State University

Cary Green Hope 1 1— 2

Cornelius W.A. Hough 0 0— 0

SCORING

33^rd minute GH—Alexis Shaffer (Mo McDonnell)

74^th minute GH—Kenley Sigmon

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