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GREENSBORO — There will be a new 4-A West girls soccer champion this year.

Rachel Cox scored in sudden-death overtime Saturday to lift the Grimsley Whirlies to the third round of the playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Ardrey Kell Knights.

"I just told them to go in and shoot," Grimsley coach Shaun McMulkin said. "It's sudden death, you score, we're done. As soon as you get it you better be shooting.

"Rachel did that. She's not scared to do that. She'll shoot from anywhere."

Teammates mobbed Cox after the game-winning goal.

"I knew I had my teammates behind me and that no matter what happened they had my back," Cox said. "Someone laid it off from me from way out and I just slammed it in."

The Whirlies (14-2-4) play East Forsyth, a double-overtime winner over Charlotte Myers Park on Saturday, in a third-round game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Grimsley.

Last year, Grimsley's season ended in the third round with a 4-1 loss to East Forsyth.

After a 6-0 win in the opening round of the playoffs, the Whirlies found things much tougher against the Knights (11-7-1), a team that did not allow a goal in the West playoffs last year.

"They were a very organized team defensively, and it was very hard for us to break down or get behind them," McMulkin said. "As long as we were hitting feet, we were successful. It was only when we didn't hit feet that we had problems with possession and letting them get into attack."

It was a scoreless game until the 12-minute mark in the second half, when Courtney Konway scored an unexpected goal on a free kick.

"She hit a great free kick from the top corner," McMulkin said. "I don't think anyone was going to be saving that. That was a really good goal."

Grimsley could have folded after allowing a late goal, but instead the Whirlies came out with a renewed sense of purpose.

Carrie Brown gained control of the ball in the center of the field, ran past a defender and hammered the ball into the goal with 3:45 remaining to forge a tie.

The two teams traded goals in the first overtime sessions, with Grimsley's score coming on a free kick from straight on by Kelsey Lagaux.

Emilee Engelhaupt tied the game with a low shot that went in the right corner. That goal sent the game to sudden death and set the stage for Cox' heroics.

McMulkin likes the way this year's team plays defense.

"We've done really well for the last eight, nine games," McMulkin said. "But I've been telling the girls we don't get any easy games anymore."

Charlotte Ardrey Kell 0 1 0 1 0 — 2
Grimsley 0 1 1 0 1 — 3

Goals: Ardrey Kell — Courtney Konway, Emilee Engelhaupt; Grimsley — Carrie Brown, Kelsey Leaguax, Rachel Cox.

Assists: Grimsley — Katelin Dunning.

Shots: Ardrey Kell 8. Grimsley 9.

Saves: Ardrey Kell 6. Grimsley 6.

Corner kicks: Ardrey Kell 3. Grimsley 1.