How Reynolds girls soccer won NCHSAA playoff game with player who had never been goalkeeper
Peyton Harvey had never played goalkeeper before Monday.
The junior hadn’t even played soccer at all since getting to high school, but when the Reynolds girls soccer coaches called and asked her to step in for the Rockets’ first-round playoff game, she agreed.
With starting goalkeeper Claire Rhoden out, Harvey helped Reynolds beat St. Stephens 4-0 to advance to the second round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs.
“The defenders are really good,” she said. “They made it a lot easier. But I just blocked them when they came to me. I had to remember all the rules.”
Harvey, an All-WNC second-team selection in basketball, had just one practice on Sunday to prepare. She played 73 minutes, earning the shutout in her first game as goalkeeper.
“It was hard,” said Harvey, who did play club soccer before high school. “It just brought back some memories. I’ve never played goalie before, but with basketball they wanted me to try it.”
With Rhoden in net in Reynolds’ first 22 games, the team allowed just 18 goals all season and had 13 shutouts. The line has been anchored by junior captains Opal Redmond and Sophia Olinger, who provided relief Monday for Harvey.
Reynolds coach Patrick Gladys said he expects to get Rhoden back in net for Thursday’s second-round game against the winner of East Lincoln and Freedom.
Harvey wasn’t the only newcomer to excel for the Rockets. Freshman Jaylee Monteith, who joined the team in their last game of the regular season, scored the first two goals of the night, including the opening goal 59 seconds into the game. Freshman Christina Diavatis scored the second pair of goals.
“(Monteith) is left-footed, so she presents a problem for teams,” Gladys said. “We’re a young team. The freshmen are good. I think this is a team that’s built for a run.”
In just two games, Monteith already has five goals. She said her teammates have done an excellent job of welcoming her into the fold.
“They’ve done as well as they could do. That was one thing I was nervous about,” Monteith said. “They’ve welcomed me like I’ve been on the team since the first practice.”
It’s the first time Reynolds has won a playoff game since 2021, and it came in part because the Rockets moved down a classification to 3A this season. Despite finishing third in the Mountain Athletic Conference, Reynolds earned the conference’s 3A automatic playoff bid and the chance to host as the No. 7 seed.
“I’m more proud of the field players who did the job on the field for us,” Gladys said. “Just happy to move on. Survive and advance.”
WNC girls soccer power rankings: Asheville High finishes regular season No. 1
Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Reynolds picks up first NCHSAA girls soccer playoff win since 2021
