A 5-minute spurt towards the end of the first half was enough to separate the Blues from the Tallahassee Reckoning as they scored a 3-1 win at Greenwood Field to move on to the second round of the USL W League Playoffs.

The first bit of action came in the 7th minute, when Caitlin Conroy laid the ball off down the right flank for Lucie Bertrand. Bertrand took it to the touchline before firing it across the six-yard box but Tallahassee’s goalkeeper Bella Mendoza was quick off her line and snuffed out the chance with a diving scoop.

Eleven minutes later, the Blues were threatening again. An Asheville set piece from the right side was deflected by a Tallahassee defender over to Gry Boe Thrysoe on the left side of the box. Thrysoe fired a half-volley towards the bottom right corner but narrowly missed as the game remained scoreless.

Thrysoe came close to finding the opener for Asheville again in the 26th minute. Conroy’s press forced a turnover before she laid it off to Emma Sheehan on the edge of the box. Sheehan fired a shot that was blocked and ricocheted back to Conroy who sent it over to Thrysoe who fired but narrowly missed the bottom left corner.

Eight minutes after that, Thrysoe finally put the Blues on the board. Bertrand drove down the right flank and sent a pinpoint cross in to Thrysoe who poked it home past Mendoza to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Asheville struck again. Lu Flores received a feed on the left flank before putting a cross on the foot of Sheehan on the right side of the box who placed her volley just inside the near post to double the Blues’ lead.

A couple minutes later, the Blues earned a penalty kick when a Reckoning player committed a handball inside of the box. Bertrand stepped up to the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way before tucking the ball into the bottom right corner to extend Asheville’s lead to 3-0.

The Blues nearly added another before the break in the 41st minute when a ball bounced to Sarah Jacobs outside of the box who volleyed it into a Reckoning defender but the ball ricocheted to Flores inside of the box. Flores took a turn and tried to chip Mendoza while falling but the attempt went just high as the Blues took their commanding 3-goal lead into the break.

The first part of the second half was filled with the Blues controlling possession until the 59th minute when the Reckoning took a set piece from their own half and sent it to the penalty area. A Tallahassee forward got a foot on it and deflected it towards goal but Gabrielle Rourke was there to make a diving save and keep them off the board.

The visitors would get a goal six minutes later off of a setpiece through a thunderous header courtesy of Zamiyah Hill as the Asheville lead was cut to 3-1. However, this is all the Reckoning would get as the Blues saw out the game and now move onto the second round where Lonestar SC waits after they advanced against Sporting Club Jacksonville on penalties earlier in the day.

Gry Boe Thrysoe was awarded the Noble Player of the Match for her contributions on the night, which included the opening goal.

The Women in Blue host the second round of the USL W League playoffs on Sunday at Greenwood Field at 7:00 PM as they take on Lonestar SC. You can buy your tickets here.