CHINA GROVE — Opportunity knocked and went unanswered for the Carson on Wednesday.

The Cougars were terrific at peppering shots at the goal in their 3A state playoff opener against visiting North Henderson. They weren’t good at finishing — and subsequently suffered a season-ending 2-1 loss.

“We pushed and pushed and pushed,” first-year coach Lauren West said after 15th-seeded Carson (12-6) made an unexpected early exit. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t put one in the back of the net. That’s the way it is. If you can’t score goals, you can’t win games.”

Credit North Henderson (13-8), which won its sixth consecutive match and advanced to the second round. The Knights, seeded 18th, scored once in each half and staved off Carson’s frantic, late-game charge to extend an unlikely post-season run. Winning coach Ricardo Hernandez insisted it’s never about the start, always about the finish.

“It’s how you end up,” he said, noting that his team dropped its first four decisions this spring. “We’ve been hungry for several years. This was the first time we’ve played a Charlotte-area team, and we were nervous. But somehow we survived.”

North Henderson forced Carson to play kickball — kick and chase — in the first half and opened the scoring on a bizarre play in the 18th minute. Junior Jasmine Sanchez settled a throw-in some 30 yards from the left of the net and hoisted a high shot that eluded goalkeeper Megan Bolick’s outstretched fingers. The play looked more like a centering attempt that found its way into the net.

“It was a one-in-a-million shot,” said Carson junior Cierra Josey.

Carson squandered a chance to tie the score with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first half. Senior Sarah Safrit gathered a stray ball on the left side and advanced toward winning keeper Grace Lachance. She juked a defender, found some space and unloaded a low drive that struck Lachance and pinballed loose in front.  Teammate Cassie Howard, the engine that drives the Cougars, pounced on the rebound and rifled a shot just wide of the right post.

“Just an unlucky situation,” Safrit said.

Howard was more pragmatic.

“They got two good chances that they finished,” she said. “We got chances but didn’t. That’s the way soccer is. The best team doesn’t always win.”

Carson finally capitalized just 13 minutes into the second half. Cynthia Romero stole a ball near the Cougars’ bench and fed freshman teammate Hannah Smith, who delivered a right-sideline pass to Safrit.

“It was a great through-ball,” Safrit said, who buried a 15-yard shot just under the crossbar. “I took it on the run and shot for the back side. It was hard enough that (Lachance) wasn’t going to get, but the best thing is it let us know we were still in the game.”

Four minutes later North Henderson missed an opportunity to regain the lead. With Bolick out of position and a swarm of players parked on the doorstep, Carson defender Montana Gurganious cleared a ball away from the unguarded net.

“I don’t know how that ball stayed out,” West said. “It was a miracle. I said earlier that we were unlucky, but we were lucky on that play.”

They weren’t on the decisive goal. It came with 13 minutes, 41 seconds remaining following a corner kick by Sanchez. Her drive to the front was headed home by unmarked Heidy Galarza.

“Heidy has about seven goals like that,” Hernandez said. “Headers off of corner kicks. We practice that play.”

It surprised and stunned the Cougars.

“It happened so quickly,” Safrit said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

Carson finished the match with an avalanche of quickly attempted tries and at least one close call. But the Cougars never pulled even, and their season ended abruptly.

“We expected to go far, so this is definitely difficult,” Safrit said.