The Wildcats went into game ranked No. 1 in the state coaches' poll, and they left with a 3-1 loss to the No. 4-ranked Caps.

ECHHS had won 12 straight games before Friday, but that didn't help coach Mark Kadlecik or his team in another playoff game against a Broughton program that shoots alumnae into Division I soccer on an annual basis.

Not counting the sudden bursts of torrential rain that hit Chapel Hill just before game time, the first bad omen for Wildcat fans occurred with 9:56 left in the first period. Broughton sophomore Megan Eberle's kick bounced off goalie Jackie O'Connor's hands and into the net, giving the Caps a 1-0 lead.

The PAC-6 Conference champions had recorded eight straight shutouts up to that point. East recorded its 22nd shutout of the season when it blanked Enloe 1-0 on Tuesday in the previous round, as Taylor Boone scored the game's lone goal.

"We've yet to be down and win a game," said ECHHS coach Mark Kadlecik, whose team lost to Leesville Road (1-0). "They (Broughton) are a battle-tested team. The Cap-7 is a tough conference."

After their first goal, the Caps settled down and developed their rhythm. Whereas the Wildcats were the aggressors early on, Broughton stepped up its defensive attack. The Caps took a 2-0 lead at the five-minute mark on a beautiful inbound throw by Emma Ferriola-Bruckenstein to Ines Blaesius who headed the ball into the net past a shell-shocked ECHHS team.

Coach Izzy Hernandez said he just wanted his players to keep their composure despite the lead.

"I was generating hope that they wouldn't relax their attack," he said. "But the kids were very composed tonight."

A brief controversy fluttered over the field just before halftime. ECHHS was given a free kick but, just as the Wildcat players addressed the ball, officials called the first period over.

In prep soccer, the scoreboard clock stops at the two-minute mark, and game officials keep the time on the field.

Down 2-0 as the second period started, ECHHS (23-2-2) started to play like a team not used to being behind with wild shots and erratic offense.

Broughton, on the other hand, kept up its tenacious defense, while goalie Alex Perry had hands of steel.

Broughton (21-3-1) built a seemingly insurmountable lead with 27:42 left when Taylor Brown's header bounced off a player's arm and past an outstretched O'Conner to make the score 3-0.

Eli Hyde-Deruyscher prevented a shutout with a goal at the 9:26 mark.

Kadlecik said his team didn't have its normal spark.

"With the wet conditions, it was tough going," he said. "I feel worse for my three seniors (Rachel Zarkin, Marisa Gray and Julia Lynds), but their goalkeeper came up big tonight. Real big."