River Bluff Gators go green, grab first-round playoff win over Carolina Forest

It’s hair-dying season for River Bluff girls soccer.

Most team members had some sort of green dye in their hair Tuesday night with the hopes of it being the rallying cry to push the Gators deep into the Class 5A playoffs.

Junior forward Alanna Colbert, with green prominently displayed in her hair, recorded a hat trick and added an assist to pace River Bluff to a 5-1 victory over Carolina Forest in the first round of the playoffs.

“I have to support the team with the green,” Colbert said. “It means a lot for our seniors to have one more game with each other. No matter who is in front of us, we’re going at it as a team.”

The Gators (11-6-2) will travel to Wando for a second round match Thursday. It will be the fifth straight completed season in which the teams have met in the playoffs, with the Warriors ending River Bluff’s campaign the previous four times they met.

“In the playoffs, we come in with the mindset everyone is 0-0 on the season,” River Bluff coach KC Dunbaker said. “What you did prior got you there, but it does not get you to the next step.”

The visitors struck early on a corner kick that was finished by Jessie Parrott for a 1-0 lead just four minutes in the contest.

But after that, it was all Colbert and the Gators’ attack. Colbert had the equalizer just a few minutes later. After that point, the final 30 minutes of the first half turned into a stalemate with the teams tied at 1.

It was a different story after the break. Colbert added her second goal just over 30 seconds into the second half and the rout was on. Colbert added her final goal on a breakaway in the 48th minute, and all the momentum at that point was in favor of the Gators.

Lucy Cartin, Katie Jenkins and Emerson Marshall each had an assist on the first three goals by Colbert.

The hat trick gives Colbert a team-best 25 goals on the season.

“She’s a threat from the start to the finish in a game,” Dunbaker said. “Wherever she is on the field, the other team has to identify her because she can score from anywhere.”

The Gators closed things out with a goal from Charlotte Wiman on a nice assist from Colbert, and a goal by freshman Lauren Parker off an assist from Taylor Watts.

“We came together as a group in the second half,” Dunbaker said. “Carolina Forest came out and got the go-ahead goal, but luckily we had the opportunities to respond.”

This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 10:23 PM.