King’s Fork High School’s girls’ soccer team has clinched a bid to the 4A state tournament after their regional semifinals win on Wednesday.

It was the first time in four years the Lady Bulldogs got a state bid. They defeated Hanover High School on the road Wednesday 3-2 to advance to the 4A East regional championship. They had defeated Smithfield 4-1 on Monday in the first round of the tournament.

Regardless of what happens in the regional championship game, the winner and runner-up advance to the state tournament.

“This is unbelievable,” senior Skylar Wall said. “This has been a goal of ours since my freshman year. This win showed that we are up for any challenge and that we aren’t going to make anything easy. I’m proud of everyone on this team and what we have accomplished so far.”

The match was a tough one for the Lady Bulldogs, but they were in control early with well-built opportunities. Hannah Marston and Cydney Nichols were some of the Lady Bulldogs making plays in the first half. At halftime, the score was 1-1.

During halftime, Lady Bulldogs coach Mike Marston discussed with his team how to counter some of the things Hanover was doing. In the second half, they came out applying pressure to Hanover at every level. They didn’t want to allow Hanover time to connect on their simple passes.

Hanover did have a corner kick in the second half that allowed them to go up 2-1, but it wasn’t long before King’s Fork took back control. Nichols led the team with two goals, which she scored in the second half of the game.

“Much like our Smithfield game, we came out early and established a rhythm,” Marston said. “We talked about what we saw at halftime and then put a plan together to go back out there and secure the win. The coaching staff couldn’t be more proud.”

The Lady Bulldogs are happy to finally get over the hump of regional tournament losses in the past and become inches away from a state title game. Marston felt the season has changed since the Lady Bulldogs lost a game to Kellam High School in March. Ever since then, King’s Fork has built momentum that has carried them through a Conference 17 championship and now a state tournament berth.