East Bladen Girls Blank West Columbus in 9-0 Victory

East Bladen Soccer team photo. Credit: Layne Ross.

Elizabethtown, NC - East Bladen’s girls soccer team continued their strong run in Waccamaw Conference play, notching a 9-0 win over West Columbus Wednesday night to improve to 10-1-1 overall and 8-1 in conference action.

Despite the final scoreline, the Lady Eagles had to shake off a sluggish start.

“We came out a bit slow tonight,” admitted Head Coach Jay Raynor. “The delay in kickoff disrupted our pre-game rhythm. Credit to West Columbus—they worked hard, showed great class, and their keeper made some excellent early saves.”

East Bladen eventually settled in, and the attack quickly came to life. NeNe Ward opened the scoring in the 6th minute, finishing off a well-placed pass from Jackie Medina-Leal. Just minutes later, Ward turned provider, feeding Medina-Leal for a composed finish to make it 2-0.

Macey Potter then added a goal that Coach Raynor praised as “pure determination”—an individual effort that broke down the defense.

Gabriela Rebollar followed with an olympico, bending a corner kick directly into the net for a highlight-reel goal. Seventeen seconds later, Medina-Leal struck again after picking off a pass right from the restart.

Rebollar and Ward connected once more when Gabby served another dangerous ball into the box, and NeNe didn’t miss. Medina-Leal completed her hat trick with a well-timed header off another Rebollar corner, bringing the halftime score to 8-0.

“We’ve talked about mentality,” Raynor said. “When we settled in, we went to work. That sequence from the olympico to Jakie’s third in under 30 seconds—that’s the urgency we want to see.”

In the second half, one of the biggest moments came from Michelle Quezada, who netted her first varsity goal after a setup from Sana’a Singletary. The bench erupted, and the starters stood and cheered, reflecting the culture the team is building.

“That’s the kind of thing that lights up a team,” Raynor said. “Michelle’s worked hard, and it’s beautiful to see it pay off.”

Aubrei Nixon and Jaziyeah Daniels shared the shutout in goal, staying alert even though they weren’t tested with a shot.

“Our game changers off the bench were fantastic,” Raynor noted. “They came in, brought energy, and stayed focused.”

Leadership continued to show throughout the roster. Kenley Parks took charge and guided younger players when rotations shifted. Annika Bass put in another relentless shift, and Julia Flowers looked comfortable stepping into the forward role.

Even with Kayelynn Chambers and Leanh McGill still sidelined, the Lady Eagles came away with meaningful minutes for their younger players and continued to develop chemistry—especially up front, where the full attacking unit was finally healthy.

“We’re not out here just to run up the score,” said Raynor. “We’re trying to build our attacking identity. The potential is there, but we’ve got to keep refining our timing, spacing, and decisions.”

The focus now shifts to Monday night against Whiteville, where East Bladen will celebrate Senior Night following the JV match at 4:30 p.m.

“There’s a lot to look forward to,” Raynor said. “This group is locked in, and we’re excited to keep this momentum going.”

Roster: Michelle Quezada, Nevaeh Brown, Sana'a Singletary, Julia Flowers, Kayelynn Chambers, Abigail Miranda-Ventura, Jaziyeah Daniels, Mary Frances Sutton, Isabella Beard, Aubri Nixon, Lynn Escobar Perez, Kenley Parks, NeNe Ward, Jackie Medina-Leal, Leanh McGill, Gabriela Rebollar, Anna Miranda, Kaelyn Eason, Marlee Potter, Lexi Ventura, Macey Potter, Annika Bass.

---

East Bladen Girls Blank West Columbus in 9-0 Victory