Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

After going 2-8-1 in the Central Piedmont Conference a year ago, after starting 0-2-1 in 2023, Davie’s varsity soccer team found new sunshine last week.

The War Eagles held Western Guilford and Reynolds to one goal, beat the Demons for the first time in seven years and left their coach ecstatic.

“This is truly the best game we’ve played this season and maybe in the two years I’ve been the coach,” coach Corbin Kopetzky said after Davie ended an 0-10-1 drought against Reynolds.

Davie 2, WG 0

Davie broke into the win column in a home nonconference game against W. Guilford on March 13. It has Emily Garner, Jaden Sink and a defense that allowed one shot to thank for that.

“We thrive on defense,” Kopetzky said. “That’s going to continue to be our bread and butter.”

Garner opened the scoring with a crazy goal that involved Sink, who set things in motion with a free kick, and Lexi Kulis.

“Jaden took a free kick that went off of Lexi’s head to Emily’s feet and then into the back of the net,” Kopetzky said. “It was a beautiful shot by Jaden, right at the back post. That’s three highly-skilled players.”

Davie added insurance when Sink finished Sarah Andrade’s corner kick with a header into the net.

“We tried Sarah out with some corners, and she played a really good corner,” he said.

The Hornets (0-4-1) suffered their fourth straight loss.

Davie 3, Reynolds 1

Davie continued its strong defense against visiting Reynolds  on March 15, and three War Eagles delivered goals as they accelerated their momentum in the CPC opener.

“They’re a very well coached team,” Kopetzky said of the Demons (1-4-1). “They have a very knowledgable coach, and to be able to pull that one out is nice. They have developed players, but we had more shots and we were able to capitalize on them.”

It was anything but easy. After a scoreless first half, the Demons took a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes of the second half. But from that point on, Reynolds succumbed to a Davie avalanche. Lauren Colamarino scored off Sink’s free kick, Garner dribbled through and around five Demons on the way to a goal and Kulis put in another one for good measure.

“Emily dribbled from the defensive third to the offensive third, and then put it in the bottom left corner,” Kopetzky said. “She made about three moves around three different girls.

“Lexi made a very good touch around the defender. Then she turned on the burners.”

For the second straight game, Davie goalie Avery Yount (one save) didn’t have much action. That’s because the center backs and midfielders – Sink, Skylar Link, Riley Almond, Kimberly Torres, Garner, Aubrie Pulaski, Colamarino and Mya McGowan – showed up in a big way. They limited Reynolds to five shots.

“Skylar has been very good for us,” Kopetzky said. “She works very hard. Riley is very aggressive. She’s going to make people make mistakes. Kim has made a huge jump in the last year. She’s a totally different player, a lot more confident. Emily is just all over the field. She can stop a freight train if she needed to. Aubrie has progressed very well (as a freshman). She’s become a lot more aggressive. Lauren is an outstanding player. I have to give credit to all eight of those girls.”

Davie came in 3-53-4 all-time against Reynolds. The last win over the Demons was 1-0 in overtime in 2016, when Jaci Grachen scored the game-winner.