This was one trip away from Morehead City that P.J. Michaelson could enjoy.
As a player at South Central High in Winterville, Michaelson was 0-8 against Coastal Conference rival West Carteret.
He also managed the girls team for four years. They never defeated the Patriots, either.
“I used to dread going there,” said Michaelson.
So when the NCHSAA announced the girls soccer playoff brackets on Monday morning, Michaelson had a case of deja vu. Cedar Ridge, the team he has coached for the past five years, would travel to face, you guessed it, West Carteret.
But Michaelson didn’t feel dread. He got a jolt of optimism.
“I told the girls we were prepared,” said Michaelson. “Their 11-seed was just a number. It doesn’t matter what their rank is. We’re ready to go.”
On Wednesday night, his players proved him right.
Freshmen Emerson Talley and Ivy Garner each scored goals in the first half, while Geri Messinger scored in the 2nd to finally give Michaelson his long-awaited win at West Carteret 3-0 in the first round of the 3A State Playoffs.
Not only did the Red Wolves advance to the 2nd round to face D.H. Conley on Saturday, they also became the first team to shut out the Patriots this season. West Carteret, the 11th seed, finished runner-up in the Coastal Conference behind Jacksonville.
It was Cedar Ridge’s first win in the state playoffs since 2005, when the Red Wolves defeated Durham School of the Arts 3-1 in the 2A/1A state championship tournament (the NCHSAA crowned three state champions in women’s soccer in those days).
Senior Taylin Jean and junior Grace Davies shared goalkeeping duties. Jean played in the first half, then moved to right cornerback in the second half as Michaelson shifted formations. Starting in a 4-4-2, Michaelson adjusted to a 3-5-2 and finished with a 4-5-1.
“I was shocked because I didn’t think it would work so well,” said Michaelson. “The backline kept them in front of them so they couldn’t use their speed. We played perfectly.”
Talley and Garner assisted on each other’s goals. Garner, who was All-Big 8 in women’s tennis, leads the team with 18 goals. Talley has 15 goals and 14 assists.
Messinger notched her third goal as Cedar Ridge improved to 11-3-5.
The win was gratifying for Jean, a senior who had been to the state playoffs the past two years only to come away with first-round losses. Last year, Cedar Ridge lost a 2-1 heart breaker to West Brunswick with the game-winning goal coming in the last ten minutes. It made for a long four-and-a-half hour bus ride back from Shallotte.
“Without that loss, we wouldn’t have won tonight,” said Jean. “It really helped us. It motivated us. We really wanted to win tonight. It definitely feels good to win this one. Not winning in the playoffs had definitely been bugging me the last couple of years.”
The bus ride home for Cedar Ridge on Wednesday night was four hours. Michaelson started the day at 6:30 AM and didn’t get home until midnight. He had another day of school ahead Thursday, but he was too happy to care.
“I’m going to stay up all night just like I did in college,” said Michaelson.