APA coach Shivar Person addresses the team after Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Asheville School in the NCISAA 3A quarterfinals. Photo by Junious Smith III / Neuse News

By Junious Smith III

Arendell Parrott Academy has been here before, but there’s a different vibe in terms of finishing.

For the third straight season, the Patriots are heading to the NCISAA 3A semifinals after defeated Asheville School 5-1 in the quarterfinals Saturday. APA (13-3) used a strong second half to put the Blues away and will host Forsyth Country Day Tuesday at 5 p.m.

“Every report we had on Asheville was that they were going to come out strong,” Patriots coach Shivar Person said. “Sometimes, you have to sit and work with the pressure the team provides and in the second half we were able to take over.”

The Patriots did start fast as 90 seconds into the game, Kaityln Iannace took a pass from Megan Blair and put it in the net for the 1-0 advantage.

“Megan crossed it to me and I was at the back post, so it was just me being in the right place at the right time,” Iannace said.

Asheville School (10-6) attacked with a flurry early, but Ele Wooten continued to deter the Blues. Wooten had 14 saves in Saturday’s contest, including four in the first seven minutes.

“It was a lot of hard work and trying to do everything I could for the team,” Wooten said.

The Blues scored in the 31st minute on Caroline Bridges’ goal to tie the game, but six minutes later Alex Melk shot one from about 20 yards out that trickled past the goalkeeper to put the Patriots ahead 2-1 heading into halftime.

The goal was also APA’s 91st of the season, breaking the team’s previous record of 90 set in 2017.

“The goal was kind of a relief for us,” Melk said. “It helped us calm down a bit and made us say ‘we’ve got this’ in the second half. Of course, it all started with Ele making great plays for us.”

APA didn’t waste time in the second half as Annabelle Averette scored 90 seconds in to give the Patriots a 3-1 margin, also assisting with the team’s confidence.

“It definitely helped us out even further with momentum, boosting the morale of the team,” Averette said.

The Patriots picked up goals in the 63rd minute from Gisell Cervantes (assisted by Melk) and 67th minute by Megan Blair (assisted by Lindsey Thomas) to put the game away. Last season, Cervantes helped Greene Central to its best soccer season at 12-7-1, but the team fell in the first round of the NCHSAA 2A state playoffs.

“It was definitely a change between schools and building up new relationships here, but it’s been a great experience,” Cervantes said. “Last year hurt, losing in the first round, but we’ve got a great team here that’s focused and we were able to get this win.”

Thomas said the team will learn from previous mistakes and make a strong impact Tuesday, as the team hopes to raise its first championship banner.

“This team is really determined to work harder than ever before,” Thomas said. “Having home field advantage will definitely help us, and we want to win like nobody else.”