FAYETTEVILLE — Four-sport East Bladen High star Lacey Suggs received her final accolade as a prep athlete on Friday when she was named to the All-Cape Fear Region’s second team in soccer by the sports staff of The Fayetteville Observer.
The Lady Eagles senior, who graduated earlier this month, gave East Bladen soccer coach Jay Raynor a season to remember, leading the team to a 19-3 overall mark and 12-2 in the Four County Conference.
After missing the first four matches of the season while leading the Lady Eagles on another deep Class 2-A playoff run in basketball, Suggs hit the pitch on March 9 and scored the first of her 11 hat tricks on the season with three goals against North Brunswick. On the next day, the forward/midfielder scored another hat trick and added four assists in a non-conference match against East Columbus.
Suggs had nine more three-goal matches and one four-goal match — that one coming April 28 against Wallace-Rose Hill. She had eight hat tricks against Four County Conference opposition; one in the Class 2-A playoffs against Randleman; and had her best matches against Wallace-Rose Hill (seven goals in two matches), cross-county rival West Bladen (six goals and six assists) and Union (six goals and five assists).
On the season, Suggs scored 41 of East Bladen’s 100 total goals, she had 26 of the team’s 94 assists, 157 of the Lady Eagles’ 1,281 steals and took 141 of the team’s 444 shots. She was 2-for-2 on penalty kicks and scored six match-winning goals.
“She is just a phenomenal athlete, student and person,” East Bladen Athletics Director Patty Evers said recently. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed coaching her (in basketball and softball) and watching her grow. We’re looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes at the next level.”
Despite scoring more goals than all but two members of the All-Cape Fear Region’s first team, Suggs somehow fell to the second team, where she was joined by conference rival Alaina Capps of Clinton.
Suggs was named 2o16 the Four County Conference’s Co-Player of the Year — giving her three straight Player of the Year titles her senior year (volleyball, basketball and soccer). She was also named the Mountaire Farms/Civitas Media Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier this month and took home a $2,500 scholarship.
Suggs will attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington as a preferred walk-on for the Lady Seahawks basketball team.
Area players on the first team included Mia Shelley of Whiteville, Madison Hinson of Whiteville and Kendall Blaine of Lumberton.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.