Jeff Moeller, sports correspondent

For the Richmond Hill girls’ soccer team, the show goes on.

The Wildcats recently kept their unblemished season intact with a 7-0 home blanking of Discovery in the opening round of the GHSA playoffs.

With the win, Richmond Hill improved to 18-0. They will host Norcross in the second round Friday.

The Wildcats were in a tight tussle in the opening half against the visitors from Lawrenceville, but they took a 2-0 lead into halftime.

Afterwards, the Wildcats scored five goals in the second half, thereby advancing to the next playoff round.

Throughout the match, head coach Shawn Allen remained confident his team could stay in control.

“We created plenty of chances in the first half, but we had trouble scoring,” said Allen. “We went into halftime 2-0, but we were dominating the game.

“In the second half, our offense kicked into gear, and we were able to add 5 goals in the second half and rotate the roster to get lots of younger players' playoff experience.”

Senior Ella Peterson, who scored 30 goals during the regular season, tallied a pair of goals in the victory. She saw the game as an example of the team’s tight bond.

“I think the game displayed our strongest asset, which is teamwork,” stressed Peterson. “It's really nice to see the team play like this and gives me confidence looking forward. It's really rewarding to see our hard work pay off. We kept the pressure on them and we didn't concede a single goal.”

Karly Schultz also scored two goals and Becca Carpenter, Maggie Dodge, and Brooke Norris scored a goal apiece.

Schultz, a sophomore, has cherished her time on the field with her teammates.

“It’s honestly such a privilege to play with an amazing group of girls,” said Schultz. “I don’t really see the two goals as just mine; they were team goals because everyone worked together to create those opportunities and stay focused on the little things.

“I’m really excited to move on to the next round of playoffs and see who we play next.”

Dodge, a junior, also was confident despite a slow start.

I thought overall the game went well,” emphasized Dodge. “We struggled to score the first half, but once we started moving the ball around and working as a team we won 7-0.”

Senior Caitlin McCormick saw the game as a solid team effort.

“The game was a great start to our first round and gave some of our younger players a valuable chance to get time on the field,” said McCormick. “The team and I are really excited to keep pushing forward in the playoffs. Even though I didn’t score, I was able to contribute by helping set up a few goals with key touches and passes.”

Allen anticipates a challenge ahead with Norcross (15-3), which shutout Archer, 5-0, in their opening postseason game.

“We were able to dominate the time of possession throughout the game against Discovery,” said Allen. “We know Norcross will be a very tough opponent.”