Murphy – For the first time in team history, the Murphy boys varsity soccer squad advanced to the third round of the state playoffs.
After receiving a first-round bye, the Bulldogs hosted Queen’s Grant. They won 5-2 to advance to the third round of the 2A playoffs.
In the third round of the playoffs, the Dogs faced No. 3 seed Gray Stone Day at Pfeiffer University’s soccer field Monday night.
It was a hard day for the Dogs as they faced their toughest opponent this season and fell 3-0 for their season to come to an end.
Gray Stone Day struck first with one goal in the first half. In the second half they added two more to net the 3-0 final score.
No. 6 seeded Murphy hosted No. 11 seeded Queen’s Grant on Thursday night in their second round matchup. Queen’s Grant defeated No. 22 seed Avery County to earn their spot in the second round and a trip to Murphy.
Both teams came out aggressive to start the match. Just over halfway through the first half, Murphy drew first blood. Tyler Payne was fouled in the corner after being pushed from behind, setting up a free kick.
Payne took the free kick and found Jerry Bui in front of the net. Bui then found the back of the net to give the Dogs a 1-0 lead.
About nine minutes late, Andrew White was fouled and drew a penalty kick. Payne took the shot and blew it past the goalkeeper to extend their lead to 2-0.
Queen’s Grant scored their first goal about two minutes before halftime on a corner kick to make the game 2-1 at halftime.
Just under 10 minutes into the second half, Murphy had a throw-in. On the throw, Bui was perfectly placed on the back post and scored to extend Murphy’s lead to 3-1.
On another corner kick, Queen’s Grant found the back of the net to make it a one-goal game. With just under 20 minutes left in the second half.
Queen’s Grant tried hard to score, but Murphy shut them down late in the match. With 6:30 remaining in the second half, Bui scored his hat trick goal off of a throw in to make it 4-2.
Less than three minutes later, Queen’s Grant got a yellow card after a dirty slide tackle. This brought up a free kick in a good position for a scoring opportunity.
On the rebound of the free kick, Nathan Johnson found the back of the net to give Murphy a 5-2 lead. The Dogs held onto the lead to advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in team history.
The Dogs end their 2025 season with an overall record of 15-4-1 and a Smoky Mountain Conference record of 13-1. They were crowned SMC champions after defeating Blue Ridge Early College on Oct. 28 still with one game left to play. They also had an 11-game shutout streak that fell one game short of tying the state record.