RED SPRINGS — Since the girls Robeson Cup was established in 2022, Purnell Swett has made a habit of hoisting the trophy at the end of the annual county soccer tournament.

Fielding the program’s best team in the span this spring, it’s only fitting the Rams would continue their championship run.

Purnell Swett beat Lumberton 6-1 in the tournament final Saturday at Red Springs, claiming a third straight Robeson Cup title.

“I’m just happy for the girls that they’ve kept the tradition up and kept the run going, and I’m just proud of how hard they work,” Purnell Swett coach Alaric Strickland said. “Even though we played last night, a tough game, they just came and they were about business and they just took care of it.”

For Purnell Swett’s veteran players, the title is a return to the Robeson Cup success of the previous two years, with the program now 6-0 in tournament games. This includes junior forward Josie McLean, who was named tournament MVP for the third straight year after scoring six goals with two assists over two tournament games.

“Winning again, it helps us to move forward on in the season,” McLean said. “This is one of our goals every year, and it’s really good, it’s exciting to win a trophy and to be a part of something big.”

For some of the younger Rams, many of whom have made big contributions to the team’s historically strong season to date at 13-1, it’s a new experience winning the title.

“I feel like it’s very important because we have three seniors leaving us, and I feel like we just worked hard for it,” said Sarah Hunt, who scored two goals and added four assists in the tournament to earn All-Tournament honors.

“(It’s) the older girls leading by example, and the freshmen experiencing it and working just as hard as the older players to make sure we got the win,” Strickland said. “Hopefully they just keep following that standard as the season progresses.”

Hunt scored the game’s first goal on a shot from 25 yards out less than 11 minutes into the game, assisted by McLean.

“It was over in (the corner), and it was starting to get crowded in the box, so I had to turn, and when I turned Sarah was right there and able to make that shot,” McLean said.

“At first I was kind of staying back, just to be there for help, then I saw Josie was in trouble so I just ran to the box,” Hunt said.

Aonor Woodell scored the second Purnell Swett goal, assisted by Hunt with 5 1/2 minutes left in the first half, giving the Rams a 2-0 advantage at intermission.

“I think it was just a good performance overall for Purnell Swett,” Lumberton coach Ethan Freeman said. “They came out, they played really well, they played really well as a team. Our girls, they competed well for a half; the second half it just got a little bit away from us.”

It didn’t take long for the Rams to add to their lead in the second half, with Anileigh Locklear scoring on a short-range goal assisted by Brooklyn Jones just 52 seconds into the period to lead the Pirates 3-0.

“Brook took it to the corner and she just dropped it to me inside, and I just one-touched it in; it was a great ball by her,” Anileigh Locklear said. “I think it was good to start our momentum in the second half. We were kind of slow, with (a 2-0 lead), and I think after that goal we just started picking them up.”

“That’s what I told them at halftime, let’s go hard right at it after the whistle starts and just keep this going, and that’s what they did, they executed that and I’m just proud of them for always doing that,” Strickland said.

Ava Giles added a goal at the 31:20 mark, off McLean’s second assist, to make the Rams’ lead 4-0.

Lumberton (4-6-3) got on the scoreboard when Makenna Bell scored on a corner kick, cutting the Rams’ lead to 4-1 with the 22:03 remaining.

“She’s added a weapon for us that we’ve been lacking for a few years here, an offensive weapon,” Freeman said. “She’s kind of been our goal scorer for the season. She’s kind of our main threat up top, so we try to find her the ball as much as possible.”

McLean added two goals, one on a shot from just inside the box and the other on a close-range shot, three minutes apart to extend the Rams’ lead to 6-1 with 13:46 to go.

“With those two goals, I had to run up behind the girl and then I got by her and I got by the other one and kind of tapped it in,” McLean said. “The second one, Kyndallon made a great corner kick and I was able to hit it into the side of the net.”

“She had worked hard all game and I thought she deserved a couple finishes,” Strickland said. “I’m glad she was rewarded for that, for all her hard work. Especially because she was assisting the first couple of goals, and she wasn’t getting down on herself, she just keeps plugging along and plugging along and it finally paid off for her.”

Anileigh Locklear, Oxendine and Jahna Locklear joined McLean and Hunt on the All-Tournament team for the Rams, with Bell, Chloe Hammonds and Kaleigh Graham earning selections for the Pirates.

Purnell Swett beat Lumberton in the championship match for the second straight year after a 3-1 overtime win over the Pirates last year. The Rams also won their 14th straight game in the head-to-head series with the Pirates, dating back to 2018, including a 6-0 win on April 9. The teams meet again to complete the regular season on May 3 in Lumberton.

Purnell Swett reached the championship with a 9-0 win over St. Pauls on March 15 in which McLean had four goals. Lumberton beat Red Springs 2-0 in the semifinals.

Both teams resume United-8 Conference play on Tuesday; Purnell Swett plays at South View and Lumberton travels to Gray’s Creek.

Red Springs beats St. Pauls for third place

Monserrat Villagomez and Abril Bello Dominguez both scored a goal in each half Saturday, helping lead the Red Springs girls soccer team past St. Pauls 4-2 in the Robeson Cup third-place game.

“The girls were able to make their combinations, to make their passes, and instead of just kicking the ball around actually passed with a purpose and kept moving, kept their head in the game, instead of just getting tired and kicking it around,” Red Springs coach Andrew Hughes said.

St. Pauls (4-11) took a 1-0 lead with Thanya Garcia scored on a free kick; Red Springs (4-9) took a 2-1 lead by halftime on goals by Dominguez and Villagomez.

Villagomez scored again for a 3-1 lead with 28:35 to go.

“(Villagomez) is our leading scorer, but even when she’s not scoring she draws so much attention and she’s able to make good crosses to set other players up,” Hughes said.

Dominguez extended the Red Devils’ lead to 4-1 with just under 20 minutes to go. Neveah Liles made it a 4-2 game on a goal with 16:25 to play.

“I think probably the second half was better than the first. I keep telling the girls, every opportunity, every chance we get, it’s crucial to score. … It’s important to learn from this to take advantage of all the opportunities we get.”

Red Springs’ Villagomez and Angelique Arizmendi and St. Pauls’ Garcia earned All-Tournament honors.

The teams meet again Wednesday at Red Springs. Before that game, St. Pauls faces Clinton at home on Tuesday, while Red Springs hosts Midway the same night.