HobbsDailyReport.com
Seven boys’ high school soccer teams — five of them in 2A and among those unbeaten Newton-Conover – got out of the first round of the state playoffs by winning opening matches on Wednesday night.
Newton-Conover, the top West 2A seed, advanced as well as No. 2 Patton, No. 10 Lake Norman Charter, No. 15 Hibriten and No. 26 West Iredell in the 2A bracket.
In the West 3A playoffs, No. 6 Hickory and No. 12 Watauga advanced.
South Caldwell, seeded No. 7 in West 4A, had a first-round bye.
2A
Newton-Conover 7, North Davidson 2
At Newton-Conover, the Red Devils (22-0-2) scored five of their goals in the first half to defeat No. 32 North Davidson.
Next up for Newton-Conover is a second-round match on Saturday in Newton against No. 16 Lexington (19-6), which advanced by winning 5-3 at home over No. 17 East Lincoln.
The third round if scheduled Wednesday. If the Red Devils win Saturday, they’ll be at home against No. 8 Black Mountain Owen or No. 9 Forest Hills.
Lake Norman Charter 10, Maiden 1
Luke Mostert, Sloan Schwarzenegger and Riley Benz each scored twice, leading the 10th-seeded Knights to 10 goals, a school record for 
playoff scoring.
Anthony Alvarenga scored unassisted for visiting Maiden, a No. 23 seed, after Lake Norman Charter had gained a 7-0 lead.
Mostert’s first goal came seven minutes in to open the scoring and he added his second goal two minutes later.
Lake Norman Charter meets No. 26 West Iredell in Huntersville on Saturday in the second round.
A win by Lake Norman Charter would net the Knights a third-round match on Wednesday, at home against No. 15 Hibriten or on the road at No. 2 Patton.
Lexington 5, East Lincoln 3
The Yellow Jackets won at home despite one goal and an assist by the Mustangs’ Chase Gilley and a goal each by Sebastian Cunningham and Chase Lynch.
Gilley finished the season with 28 goals, a single-season record at East Lincoln, as the Mustangs finished 14-9.
Tyler Swanson added an assist for East Lincoln.
Forest Hills 2, Bandys 1
Ninth-seeded Forest Hills (17-5-1) eliminated the Trojans in Marshville to advance to a second round match on Saturday at No. 8 Black Mountain Owen.
Bandys finished 10-13, reached double-figure wins in boys’ soccer for the first time in school history.
Surry Central 4, Fred T. Foard 0
Surry Central, seeded 14th, shutout visiting Foard, seeded No. 19, to advance.
The win gives Surry Central a home second round match on Saturday, facing No. 30 Thomasville after the Bulldogs upset No. 3 Forbush 1-0 on the road in a postseason opener.
West Iredell 1, Wilkes Central 0
The Warriors, a No. 26 seed, stunned the seventh-seeded Eagles in North Wilkesboro, advancing to the second round on Saturday.
West Iredell (11-11-2) goes on the road to play 10th-seeded Lake Norman Charter.
If the Warriors win Saturday, they would travel to No. 15 Hibriten or No. 2 Patton.
Patton 2, Chase 1
Second-seeded Patton reached 22 wins with a one-goal victory over the Trojans in Morganton.
The Panthers (22-1) face No. 15 Hibriten at Patton on Saturday.
A win by Patton would keep it at home for the third round on Wednesday against No. 26 West Iredell or No. 10 Lake Norman Charter.
Hibriten 4, Lincolnton 2
At Hibriten, the 13th-seeded Panthers won to advance to a second round match on Saturday at Patton, eliminating No. 18 Lincolnton.
If Hibriten wins Saturday, it will play at home against No. 26 West Iredell or go to No. 10 Lake Norman Charter.
3A
Hickory 6, Concord Robinson 0
The Red Tornadoes, seeded sixth, advanced by shutting out No. 17 seed Robinson in Hickory.
Santiago Betancourt opened the scoring for Hickory (17-6-1), and the Red Tornadoes’ lead was 3-0 at the half after goals by Brayden Rowland and Nick Sadowski.
Rowland’s second goal, in the second half, pushed Hickory’s lead to 4-0.
The Red Tornadoes are at home Saturday for a second round match, facing No. 11 Winston-Salem Parkland. Parkland advanced by beating No. 22 Cutherbertson 2-1 in Winston-Salem.
A win Saturday by Hickory would net it a visit from No. 14 North Gaston or a road trip to play No. 3 Statesville on Wednesday.
Watauga 2, A.L. Brown 1, OT
The Pioneers (17-6-2, No. 12 seed) edged the visiting Wonders, seeded No. 21, to earn a second round match on Saturday.
Watauga will travel to No. 5 Southwestern Randolph, a 5-3 home winner in the first round over No. 28 West Henderson.
Should the Pioneers win Saturday, their next match would be Wednesday, at home against No. 20 Waynesville Tuscola or at No. 4 Cox Mill.
Asheville 4, St. Stephens 0
The Cougars (21-1-1), seeded ninth, eliminated the Indians, a No. 24 seed, in Asheville.
Next up for Asheville is a match on Saturday at No. 8 Forestview in Gastonia.
4A
Spartans to play Sabres
No. 7 seed South Caldwell (10-5-3) had a first-round bye and gets a visit Saturday from No. 10 South Mecklenburg (14-4-3), a 6-0 winner in Charlotte over Lumberton.
If the Spartans reach the third round on Wednesday, they’d face No. 15 West Forsyth in Hudson or travel to No. 2 Providence.