Lady Panther soccer added another win via mercy rule in last Thursday’s opening round of the state playoffs. 

“It’s not who we play, it’s how we play,” head coach John Bowen said. “[It’s about] maintaining a standard and not fluctuating from that.”

Within the first 10 minutes of the game Starr’s Mill was up 6-0. With practically full possession of the ball, Hardaway was not able to make it past the Starr’s Mill defense.

“I think this was a fun game to get us ready for our later games,” sophomore Kendra Ivaska said. “The first game that we had a little bit of pressure on us, but still a game that we controlled and were very successful in.”

At 20 minutes, the winning goal was scored by sophomore Lauren Barch which enacted the mercy rule. Leading scorers were Mia Hargrove and Olivia Shaw, both with two goals.

“We have a lot of really good players coming from different places,” Ivaska said. “Us just being able to play with each other has really made an impact on having success on the field.”

This is the seventh time the Lady Panthers have won by mercy rule this season. 

The boys game was slightly different with Starr’s Mill holding a 2-1 lead at halftime. However, the Panthers controlled the entire second half winning 11-1.

The Lady Panthers host Southeast Bulloch at 5:30 p.m. on April 25. The boys host Benedictine at 5:30 p.m. on April 26.