“It feels amazing,” she said. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Wills, who has now scored 135 goals the past two seasons, entered the first round of the NCISAA playoffs last week needing nine goals to match the mark set by Wilson Fike’s Sarah Winslow in 2006. After netting five goals in a 10-0 first-round win over Ridgecroft School, Wills was left poised to press on and overtake the all-time record of 76.

And it didn’t take her long.

The Patriots’ star attraction scored all five of her goals by the 28th minute en route to a 7-0 Davidson Day halftime lead. 

According to the national high school Web site Maxpreps.com, which contains many but not all teams’ stats, no other girls’ soccer player in the nation has scored more than 45 goals. 

While Wills took most of the plaudits for reaching the milestone, several others enjoyed big scoring days as well. Freshmen Max Foster and Rachel Bringewatt each scored twice in the space of a minute before seventh-grader Hannah Wolter added two goals of her own, and Claire Oosterhouse closed the scoring with eight minutes to go.

With two more wins necessary to capture the program’s first state title, Patriots’ coach Chad Metzler remains grounded despite the 22-0 score line through the first two rounds of tournament play.

“I don’t think they’ll get complacent,” he said. “We know some of the teams that are left and that they can give us trouble.”

Glad to have the state record out of the way, Wills remains in pursuit of team accolades, with the final four looming.

“I don’t have a doubt in my mind that we can go on and win it,” she said. “If we just continue to be focused and play with confidence, we’ll be fine.”

The top-seeded Patriots (18-5-1) will face Community Christian (No. 5, 24-1) Friday at the Gillette Complex in Wilson. Shannon Forest Christian (No. 3, 14-4-1) and Wayne Country Day (No. 7, 13-5) will face off in the other semifinal. 

Davidson Day beat Shannon Forest 5-0 April 29.