Jacksonville girls soccer is headed back to the state championship after rallying to defeat J.H. Rose 2-1 in the regional finals Tuesday night.
The Cardinals and Rampants entered the matchup after splitting the regular season series.
After a scoreless first half, J.H. Rose took a 1-0 lead early in the second half on a corner kick goal by Carys Carson.
Jacksonville quickly answered and later took the lead on a goal by Caroline Doyle following an assist from Riley Morrow.
The Cardinals held off several late scoring chances from Rose to secure the win and advance to their second state championship appearance in three seasons.
In 5A girls soccer, Dixon upset previously unbeaten Western Alamance 2-1 to advance to the program’s first state championship match since 2008.
Croatan girls lacrosse will host the East Regional Finals on Wednesday night with a chance to advance to the state championship game for the second time in four years.
In college sports, ECU announced the hiring of Haley Hinklen as the new head coach of the Pirates women’s lacrosse program.
ECU baseball also learned it will open NCAA Tournament play Friday at noon against Tennessee in the Chapel Hill Regional.
In the NHL playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes defeated Montreal in overtime to take a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.