After being crowned DAC-VII conference champions, the Chapel Hill High School women’s soccer team advanced to the fourth round of the state playoffs, where the Tigers lost 2-1 in overtime to Cardinal Gibbons on May 26, ending the season with an 18-2-2 record.
The Tigers shut out Corinth High School 3-0 in the first round of the state playoffs, defeated Green Level in overtime in the second round and prevailed over Pinecrest High School 5-1 in the third round.
Junior Jane Rydin led the team with 24 goals on the season, while fellow junior Sofia Canoutas-Nadel led the team in assists, tallying 14. Junior Kitty Pope—the DAC VII conference goalkeeper of the year—recorded 12 shut-outs on the year.
“[Rydin’s] a great kid,” head soccer coach Jason Curtis said. “As many goals as she has, she’s the first to say she should probably have more. She’s a great athlete and a great kid to be around.”
Canoutas-Nadel and Pope both earned all-state honors, while Jane Rydin and sophomore Anna Rydin earned all-region honors; juniors Bridget McMahon and Madden Rutherford, as well as sophomore Audrey Yazejian, earned all-conference honors.
Playing in the 4A DAC-VII conference for the first time, the team lost only once, falling to Jordan High School 1-0 on April 21, but avenged the defeat on May 2 by outscoring the Falcons 3-1.
Similarly, after tying East Chapel Hill High School 1-1 on April 12, the Tigers defeated the Wildcats 2-1 on May 5, with Yazejian—who finished the season with 16 goals, the second most on the team—netting both goals.
The victory over East propelled the Tigers into first place in the conference standings; the team went on to defeat Hillside High School 9-0 on May 10 and Southern Alamance High School 4-1 on May 11, to finish atop the conference with a record of 10-1-1.
“Our first time [winning] 4A is pretty cool. We were in third for a while because we tied East and lost to Jordan the first time, so, coming back after spring break, we needed to win both of those games,” Curtis said. “It said a lot about our team’s character and their motivation.”
The team graduates three seniors, co-captains Gillian Ederle and Nicole Beetham, as well as Kadian Willoughby.
“I think the team learned how to work better with each other over the season,” Ederle said. “We also got better at finishing when we had the opportunity. Our positive atmosphere allowed us to come back on multiple occasions, and we learned how to come back after giving up a goal.”
With most of the roster set to return next year, Curtis likes the Tigers’ prospects next season and hopes to make an even deeper run in the state playoffs.
“We had an amazing season, coming up just a bit short in the fourth round of the state tournament,” Curtis said,“but with so many returning all-conference players, they look to be primed for another deep playoff run in 2023 in pursuit of another star for the crest.”
