The Pinecrest girls all but wrapped up their 12th conference title in a row with Wednesday's hard-earned 3-0 victory over a determined Jack Britt squad.

The Patriots improved to 11-0 in the league (13-3 overall) after knocking off a Buccaneer team (10-2, 12-6) that could have forged a tie for first place with a win.

The home team took a 2-0 lead on goals set up by Rachel Dokich corner kicks within two minutes of each other late in the first half. Keegan Cary headed home the first one and the second was an own-goal off a Buc defender.

Ally Parziale provided an insurance tally with five minutes left in the match on another header off a ball that teammate Lyndsey Anderson rocketed off the top post of the goal.

"Honestly, I haven't heard one word about conference, it's all about states," Patriot coach Todd Abbey said afterward. "That's what I'm excited about is (that) they're focused past this."

If still another conference title has been a forgone conclusion for some time, the Patriots were tested by the physical Bucs just as they were in Monday's 1-0 overtime victory at Hoke County.

Buccaneer goalkeeper Bailey Mathias left the game with an injury shortly before the accurate instep of Dokich helped the Patriots get going.

"They were the same, exact kicks," Abbey said.

On the final goal, Anderson ran on to a through ball from mid-fielder Kate Hieronymus. The senior slipped to the turf after making a sharp cut into the penalty box, but bounced right back up and unloaded the shot that ricocheted on to the head of the opportunistic Parziale. Sarah Dejak was in the goal for the Patriots' 10th shutout victory of the season.

The state playoff mindset kicks in with earnest when Pinecrest entertains 15th-ranked Wilmington Hoggard (8-3-1) tonight at 7 p.m. on Youth Soccer Night. The two teams have a history. The Vikings knocked the Patriots out of the state playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

The regular season concludes next week with road conference matches at Westover (Monday) and Seventy-First (Wednesday) and at home against Douglas Byrd (Thursday).