Wando girls edge River Bluff for 5A Lower State soccer title
The River Bluff girls soccer team took a big step forward in its record-breaking season this year.
That’s what Gators coach KC Dunbaker’s wanted his team to remember Monday following a 2-1 heartbreaking loss to Wando in the Class 5A Lower State championship.
Wando advances to play JL Mann in the state championship Saturday at Irmo beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The loss was River Bluff’s first of the season as it finished at 22-1-1. The Gators set school record for wins, won their first region title, appeared in USA Today’s Super poll for the first time and were a win away from the program’s first state title appearance.
“Every year, we tried to improve and we have improved,” said Dunbaker who was sporting a green mohawk he did before the playoffs. “Tonight is going to be terrible and not going to be fun. It is going to hurt for a while. But to go from first year with these seniors who were freshman and not making playoffs to tonight playing in Lower State championship. There is a lot for these girls to be proud of and hopefully they won’t define their season by this one loss.”
This was the second meeting between the two teams. River Bluff tied Wando, 1-1, at the Viking Cup back in February and neither team had tied or loss since then.
The teams battled through a 0-0 first half, in which River Bluff missed on several opportunities and had five corner kicks.
But the Gators got on the board in the 53rd minute on Charlotte Sparkes 10th goal of the season.
Wando answered seven minutes later when freshman Caroline Richvalsky scored to tie it up. The match appeared to possibly heading to overtime but Regan Jones’ drilled a shot from left side to the right-corner just over the outstretched arms of Jessica Padgett to make it 2-1 in the 75th minute.
“Regan just ripped it, straight left footer, upper ninety far post. Unbelievable shot,” Wando coach Shannon Champ said. “We talked at halftime about playing our game and our strengths which i don’t think we did in the first half. We came back in the second half, pieced some things together and were fortunate to get two in the back of the net.”
The Gators didn’t have a good opportunity in the closing minutes and Warriors stormed the field in celebration.
“Wando never quits and thinks something is going to come for them,” Dunbaker said. “And we just didn’t have an answer for that in the last five minutes.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2019 at 10:40 PM.