LOUISBURG - Beating a team three times in the same season is always a difficult task, no matter what the sport.

And for 15 minutes Wednesday night, North Johnston had its hands full with stubborn Louisburg in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A soccer playoffs.

But behind senior sparkplug Haley Newsome, the Panthers overcame a shaky start and stopped the Warriors for the third time this season, 3-0.

North, a wild card entry from the Carolina Conference, had dropped the Warriors, No. 1 from the Tar-Roanoke/Albemarle Conference by counts of 6-0 and 2-0 in the regular season.

North improved to 13-6 for the season and advanced to a second-round match-up Saturday night at Manteo. The Redskins earned their second-round berth by defeating Cape Hatteras Wednesday night. Louisburg ended its season with a 4-13-2 mark.

Wednesday, Newsome was all over the field for the Panthers — literally. She started the match at forward, cranking out two first-period goals in an 11-minute span to give North a 2-0 halftime lead.

She moved to the midfield for a majority of the second half, assisted on the Panthers final goal, then spent the final 15 minutes on the last line of defense in the sweeper position.

"I was looking to play where he [Panthers head coach Brent Walston] wanted me to," Newsome said, "To secure the win, so that we could move on."

Getting the win was difficult in the early going for the Panthers, who found themselves on their heels in the first 15 minutes.

The Warriors had the best scoring chance of the half prior to Newsome's goals, when forward Nuntakan Piyasirisingha made a run on goal up the middle of the field.

But LeAnne Birdsall came up from her midfield position, chased down Piyasirisingha, and pushed the ball harmlessly over the end line with a sliding tackle. The defensive gem gave Louisburg its only corner kick of the match, but North cleared the ball without allowing a shot on goal.

Birdsall's play seemed to wake up the Panthers, and when Newsome picked up her goals, North's play improved substantially.

"Some of them [the underclassmen] were a little over-confident," Newsome said. "Some of the seniors tried to tell them you have to keep your head in the game, and not get big headed.

"It's not always going to turn out the way we plan it, if we play big-headed. We always have to go in focused."

Birdsall's play ignited North, and it led to Newsome's and the Panthers' first score 48 seconds later.

Paige Fields won the ball in the Panthers' defensive third, and rifled a pass deep into the Warriors defensive end, ahead of a charging Newsome.

Newsome out-ran Warriors defender Emily Williams to the ball, enticed Warriors keeper Elizabeth Rogers to come off her line, and fired a shot into the upper right corner of the goal 27 minutes into the match.

"I just out-ran her," Newsome said. "I do that a lot, and that's what I'm told to do. Most of the time, I don't have to dribble. They over-judged it and I out-run them."

Newsome tallied again 10 minutes later, when Caitlyn Hines found her with a deep ball down the right side. Newsome dribbled into the Warriors defensive third, and from just to the right of the box, launched a shot over Williams and a leaping Rogers.

The ball cleared Rogers and fell just below the crossbar, settling into the goal, for North's 2-0 halftime margin.

That goal surprised Newsome almost as much as it did the Warriors.

"I was intending to cross it, "Newsome said. "But it didn't do what I wanted, but it went in - so that as good."

After out-shooting Louisburg 7-2 in the first half, North dominated second half play to an 8-0 tune in shots, including an insurance goal by Syndey Levick 16 minutes into the period.

Newsome won the ball at midfield and sent a pass to Levick, who dribbled to goal, and pushed the ball to the right of Rogers and into the goal for the final score.

"We played much better in the second half," Walston said. "You just don't show up and win because you have already beaten them twice. But e were just a little flat at first, I think."

Editor's Note: This is a special early release story from next week's print edition of The Herald.