Eastern and Western Alamance host NCHSAA girls soccer playoff games

Eastern Alamance and Western Alamance gave Alamance County a rare two-site playoff night Thursday, each hosting an NCHSAA girls soccer second-round game with a chance to move one step closer to the May 28-30 state championships.

Higher seeds hosted in the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association bracket, which was finalized May 8 after schools had a chance to submit bracket inquiries. The postseason field was built with the association’s RPI-based format, adding extra weight to every result from the regular season and the opening round.

At Eastern Alamance High School in Mebane, the Eagles hosted Currituck County after rolling past Southeast Alamance 3-0 on May 6. Eastern entered the matchup with its own championship history, including the 2023 state title and a 2022 title-game appearance that ended in a 2-0 loss to Lake Norman Charter. The program now has a different voice on the sideline, with Marisa Camuto, an Eastern alumna and former goalkeeper, taking over in January.

Western Alamance had the louder recent résumé and the sharper target on its back. The Warriors hosted Cedar Ridge at Western Alamance High School in Elon after beating Eastern Alamance 4-1 in conference play on April 27 and finishing the regular season on a long winning run. Western was defending its 2025 state championship, a 1-0 win over South Point in the 3A final that clinched the program’s first girls soccer title and ended a 24-0-1 season. Callie Athas scored the championship goal in the 51st minute, and coach Camden Brooks said both the boys and girls teams won state titles during the 2024-25 school year.

The second-round draw also set up contrasting assignments. Currituck County arrived after a 7-0 first-round win over Person, while Cedar Ridge advanced with a 3-0 win over Orange. Eastern’s win over Southeast Alamance and Western’s form entering the playoffs gave both Alamance County schools a familiar postseason edge, but each still needed another result to keep the bracket moving.

A second-round win would send Eastern Alamance or Western Alamance into the third round on Monday, May 18, with the regional path tightening fast and the field narrowing toward the championship weekend at WakeMed Soccer Park and the Mecklenburg County SportsPlex. For Alamance County, the stakes were immediate: survive Thursday, and the road stays alive for another round.