The Western Alamance girls' soccer team entered the Class 5-A East Region final with a 73-game unbeaten streak and the mantle of defending state champions, expectations heavy on a squad that had turned the program into a dynasty.
A Record Falls
Instead, the night belonged to Dixon, whose coach Josh King praised the intensity of a game that swung on a single eleven‑minute burst.
Sloane Guidry, the Dixon forward, struck twice within the final eleven minutes, first equalising and then delivering the winner, a sequence that extinguished the longest unbeaten run in North Carolina high school soccer history.
The Final Ten Minutes
Western Alamance had taken an early lead when Callie Athas opened the scoring, but Dixon’s resilience shone as Guidry’s second strike in the 79th minute flipped the tempo, leaving the Alamance side scrambling to respond.
The match was marked by physical play and tactical battles, with both benches emptying at times as the contest reached a fever pitch.
What Comes Next
Dixon now advances to face Hickory in the state championship, a rematch that promises another clash of top‑ranked programs. The victory also restores confidence in a Dixon program that had been building toward a breakthrough after a season of steady improvement.
Coaches’ Praise
Josh King lauded both squads, noting that ‘the girls left everything on the field’ and that the competition ‘raised the bar for everyone.’ His counterpart at Western Alamance echoed the sentiment, acknowledging the sting of defeat while praising the quality of the opposition.
The loss marks the end of an era for Western Alamance, a program that had defined the last decade of high school soccer in the region, and sets the stage for a new chapter in the state’s championship narrative.