North Moore's girls' soccer team defeated East Montgomery 3-1 Monday to open Yadkin Valley 1A Conference play.

Scoring chances were limited in the first half, but the second half saw North Moore take control of the possession battle.

In the 51st minute, Leslie Castrejon sent a cross toward the box that the East Montgomery keeper reached for in what appeared to be a routine grab.

But Paige Garner had other ideas, taking the opportunity to toe poke the ball into the net to the keeper’s surprise.

The Mustangs continued to press and struck again in the 60th minute, when forward Ester Pascaul found Jazmin Medina with a through ball that was buried high into the net.

All doubt of the outcome was removed in the 70th minute when Castrejon took a free kick that found the foot of Garner for a goal.

East Montgomery scored its lone goal in the waning seconds.

"Overall, the team performed well," said coach James Horwath. "The defense did an excellent job of covering the field, ensuring that East Montgomery’s chances were limited. The midfield did well passing, but we need to mark better. The most pleasant surprise was the scoring. In the past, our teams would feature individual goals with the occasional assist. In this game, every goal was assisted."

North Moore is 1-0 in conference play and overall. The 13th-ranked Mustangs play Jordan-Matthews away on Wednesday before returning home to host sixth-ranked Bishop McGuiness on Friday at 6:30 p.m.