Sophomore forward Kennedy Little scored in each half to lead Fort Mill girls’ soccer team to a comfortable 4-0 home win over Region 3-5A foe the Boiling Springs Bulldogs at Bob Jones Stadium.
Little converted both of her low shots in the 28th and the 59th minute to help the Yellow Jackets secure a win on senior night in front of a supportive crowd of friends and family.
Junior midfielder Dylan Harder opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, while junior midfielder Sophia Giarrizzi’s strike in the 34th minute put Fort Mill up 3-0 just before the halftime break.
“Senior night is very important to the team,” Little said. “Everybody got to play, and we had a good game. Playing a lot of games throughout the week will help us prepare for future playoff games. We’re excited for that.”
With the win, the Yellow Jackets are now 4-2 in region play with two games left to play. The win improved them to 11-4-3 overall this season. Fort Mill will next travel to play Gaffney on Friday before hosting crosstown rival Nation Ford on April 26.
Fort Mill head coach Joelle Brotemarkle said she’s glad her team is gaining momentum at the right time. Every win and every goal will count in the race for the best possible seed in the Class 5A state playoffs.
“We want to have momentum on our hands,” she said. “We need to play our game and find the goal early.”
After dominating the early possession, Fort Mill scored three goals in the space of 12 minutes midway through the first half.
Harder controlled a loose ball in the air, took a shot that ricocheted off of the Boiling Springs’ goalkeeper, then netted her own rebound to help Fort Mill take the lead.
Little doubled Fort Mill’s advantage just six minutes later when she ran free through the middle and finished low to the keeper’s right. And Giarrizzi gave the Jackets a 3-0 halftime lead when she cut in from the right wing and pinged a hard shot to the far post.
After the break, Little again found space through the middle with 21 minutes to play when she received a pass, took a touch and rolled her shot into the net.
The loss drops Boiling Springs to a 3-7 overall record and 2-6 in region play. The Bulldogs will next host Nation Ford Friday. Fort Mill’s focus, according to Brotemarkle, will be on Gaffney.
“Going forward, on Friday, we’ve got a tough game to face,” she said. “We’re excited.”
