By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

EAST BEND — Forbush High’s girls soccer team scored in the nick of time Saturday evening, then scored again in overtime to earn a thrilling 2-1 state playoff victory over Shelby.

The Falcons trailed much of the night 1-0, struggling to solve the Golden Lions’ swarming defense, which put a mark on anyone getting near the penalty box.

But Katelynd Caudle finally helped Forbush break through, recording the game-tying goal with about 20 seconds left in regulation. The Falcons then rode a sea of momentum to a quick goal in overtime, a putback winner by Leticia Patino with just three minutes gone in the 20-minute OT session.

Forbush improved to 20-3-1 overall with the heart-stopping triumph and advanced to Wednesday night’s 2A West Regional final against Hibriten (17-7).

Shelby’s season ends at 18-4 — the second year in a row the Lions have been eliminated deep in the playoffs by Forbush.

This year’s loss likely seemed more devastating to the Lions because of how it transpired. Shelby seemed poised to advance, with the Forbush stadium clock even reading 0:00 with the visiting team ahead 1-0. But the Falcons, knowing that the official timekeeper is the center referee on the field, battled to the very end and were rewarded for their perseverance.

“We opened up a whole new chapter tonight. We really wanted this game,” Caudle said afterward. “We just didn’t give up.”

The Forbush-Hibriten regional final finished after press time for this week’s print edition of The Ripple. The winner advances to the 2A state championship, which will be played on Saturday (time TBA) at NC State’s Paul Derr Stadium.

The Falcons were state finalists a year ago, losing to First Flight High from Kill Devil Hills 2-1 at NCSU. Either Cardinal Gibbons and Swansboro, ranked No. 1 and 2 in the state coming into this week, will be the 2A East representative in this year’s 2A title match.

Shelby brought a four-game shutout streak into Saturday’s game at Forbush, including a 2-0 over Mountain Valley 2A runner-up Wilkes Central last week. Counting the Falcons’ two scores, the Lions only allowed 20 goals all spring.

Shelby moved into a familiar defensive posture after scoring off a free kick with just 13 minutes gone in the first half. It was a somewhat fluky goal. The Lions’ free kick took a fortunate bounce high over the outstretched hands of Forbush goalie Kayla Adams.

“I’m glad that didn’t decide it,” Forbush coach Kenan James said. “We pretty much had the possession throughout. You can tell they were trying to hold a lead with a packed defense. We’ve played against that all year, but they are a quality side and they can do it. They gave us some trouble.”

James said he noticed Shelby using five defensive backs, including two stoppers, after the Lions’ goal. Forbush sophomore Jessica Baity, the leading scorer the past couple of seasons, had a shadow most of the night and only got a few good chances to turn and fire in Shelby’s attacking third.

“It was really difficult to play the ball to our forwards’ feet,” James said. “We talked about it at halftime, and it was better in the second half, but we still didn’t create enough quality chances to put one away.

“At the end, it was just push things forward and try to get one.”

With about 16 minutes left, James changed his offensive approach subtly. He put his three speediest players — Caudle, Lindsey Lineberry and Patino — at the front of the attack to try and “create havoc” in the penalty box.

The Falcons did but still couldn’t break through the swarm of black jerseys — until the clock on the referee’s arm ticked under 30 seconds.

Patino and Lineberry were fighting for possession along the left side. Somehow the ball got lobbed into the middle of the field. Two Shelby defenders bumped into each other trying to corral it, and the ball went past them to Caudle.

The Forbush forward seized the moment, breaking quickly into open space and firing from right to left across the face of the goal, easily hitting the corner pocket.

The Shelby keeper had no chance.

“I turned around and the ball was right there,” Caudle said. “After we scored that goal, we got our confidence back and we were ready to go beat them.”

The Falcons didn’t take long to grab the lead. Tara Baity, who drew praise from coach James for her play on the wing all night, got possession on the left side. She tapped the ball with the outside of her foot to Lineberry, who then sent a high-arcing shot toward the net.

The ball bounced off the Shelby keeper’s chest, and Patino was right there to clean up the rebound, stabbing a left-footer into the net.

Forbush’s defense was only threatened one time in OT, but Shelby’s shot missed its mark. The rest of the way, the Falcons just kept the ball out of their attacking half and salted away one of their sweetest wins of the season.

James knows all too well what it feels like to lose a similar contest. Forbush was ousted from the 2006 playoffs by Madison on a “golden goal” in sudden death overtime (triple OT). The Falcons had led that contest much of the way, only to surrender the game-tying score with 10 minutes to play.

“In overtime, we were confident we could go,” James said. “We take a lot of pride in our fitness. We work year round.”