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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

Even though the Davie varsity soccer team is still winless in the Central Piedmont Conference, coach Corbin Kopetzky has to feel good about the direction his War Eagles are headed.

East Forsyth outscored Davie 17-1 over the previous five meetings. When Davie hosted East on March 18, the game ended in a 1-1 overtime tie.

The War Eagles have lost all 27 meetings with Reagan. They had been outscored 24-0 in the previous eight matchups. When Davie traveled to Pfafftown on March 20, the 2-1 margin of defeat brought hope to a program that’s on the rise.

“CPC action is always wild because we all beat up on each other, and our goal is to make sure we’re competitive in the conference,” Kopetzky said. “East Forsyth is always a strong opponent. They finished second in the conference last year, so we knew we were walking into a big game. We were playing the underdog role. People don’t expect us to do a lot, but we rolled in and played our game.”

Davie got on the board first against East as Lydia Postell assisted a first-half goal by Lauren Colamarino.

“Lydia played a drop pass to Lauren and she chipped it over the keeper from 20-25 yards out,” he said.

A few minutes later, East tied it on “a great shot,” Kopetzky said.

It was 1-1 at halftime, and it stayed that way for 40 second-half minutes and 20 overtime minutes.

Postell, a junior, moved in from Texas this year and has been a big difference-maker.

“Her parents got a job in the area,” Kopetzky said. “She’s absolutely incredible. She runs the midfield. She’s all over the place winning 50-50 balls. She was playing high-level club ball in Texas. Her soccer IQ is really high. Having her and Lauren together in the midfield is outstanding, and with Jaden Sink right behind them, it’s hard to get through that part of the field.”

Reagan 2, Davie 1

Two nights later, the War Eagles almost matched Reagan stride for stride, which was no small feat. The 7-0 Raiders had outscored their six previous opponents 30-3, and they had blanked Davie (3-2-1 overall, 0-2-1 CPC) eight straight times.

“We moved the ball very well,” Kopetzky said. “We’re coming together as a team. It was pretty evenly matched, and the score shows that.”

In the first half, Reagan got a through ball and won a footrace to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. Ten minutes into the second half, it was 2-0. Then Davie got within 2-1 as Sink drilled a penalty kick. It was Davie’s first goal against Reagan since a 5-1 loss in May of 2018.

“Lanna Robinson made an outstanding run,” he said. “We played her over the top and she got down. She was about to set up a shot and she got tackled from behind (to set up the PK).

“We battled and created some more opportunities. We just couldn’t capitalize.”

Kopetzky threw roses at his sophomore goalie, Aubrie Pulaski. She piled up 27 saves against East, and doggone if she didn’t deliver another huge performance against Reagan.

“She is playing absolutely outstanding,” Kopetzky said. “Neither of their goals were on her. She was making some lights-out saves. She’s been showing up huge in games.”

Pulaski came into the season having to fill a big void; Avery Yount was a three-year starter and an East-West All-Star.

“That’s not a small role to have to walk into, but gosh almighty she’s done nothing but embrace it,” Kopetzky said. “She’s done everything – and more – that I’ve asked her to do. If I ever need her in the field, I know she can handle that. I already had high expectations for her, but she’s been a different Aubrie Pulaski than I even expected her to be.”