Staff report

SALISBURY — For the third time in five seasons, Salisbury’s boys soccer team will play for a 2A state championship today in Raleigh.

The Hornets, 26-0-2 and on a 24-game winning streak, play Washington High School (26-1) at N.C. State’s Dail Field at 2 p.m.

Salisbury, coached by Matt Parrish, won state championships in 2011 and 2013.

Salisbury, the No. 1 seed in the West, won the regional at home on Tuesday night, blitzing past Trinity, 6-0, a squad that had tied the Hornets, 0-0, on Aug. 24.

Salisbury began its playoff run, all at home at Ludwig Stadium, on Nov. 5, beating East Lincoln, 9-0. A 3-0 victory in the second round over Ashe County was followed by a tougher contest with a familiar opponent.

The Hornets defeated Central Academy in overtime, 3-2, in the third round. Salisbury had nipped CATA, 2-1, during the regular season on Oct. 22.

Last Saturday, Salisbury took care of Hendersonville, 4-0, in the regional semifinals, before winning the West over Trinity.

The Hornets are led by seniors Landon Goodman, scorer of 65 goals, Cristian Uribe, Reilly Gokey, Kevin Flores, Ahmedin Salcinovic, Josh Lynch, Matt Washko, Jared Ramirez, Bryan Fragoso and goalkeeper Arturo Ramirez.

Note: Salisbury put together a bus for students who wanted to go today, and athletic director Dale Snyder ran into a “real cool experience” on Thursday.

Snyder said that a parent whose child is no longer at the school emailed and offered to pay for seats on the bus for two kids who couldn’t afford it. The cost was $15 each, which includes a ticket to the game.

Snyder emailed his staff and let them know that if they heard any students say that they couldn’t afford it, let him know. Then, another parent offered the same thing. Then, a teacher offered three spots, then another, then another.

“We now have 15 spots paid for kids to go to watch our soccer team,” said Snyder. “Humanity isn’t so bad after all.”