Haley Elrod has scored more goals than any other girls’ soccer player at Warren East, 87 in all.

Elrod can scarcely even recall that number, the totality of her goal production as a Lady Raider, let alone much in the way of detail regarding just how all those goals came about. Eighty-seven goals – that’s a lot, it really is.

Elrod got her latest, that 87th goal, Monday against visiting Warren Central in the District 14 Girls’ Soccer Tournament. Unlike dozens of others before it, this goal will occupy its own special vault in Elrod’s memory bank – No. 87 is the biggest of them all, so far at least.

“It’s the highest, it’s the best,” said Elrod, a senior midfielder. “I’m so proud of that one.”

Elrod’s goal off a throw-in in the second half proved the game-winner in Warren East’s 1-0 victory as the fifth-seeded Lady Raiders advanced past the opening round of district play for the first time since 2014. That was Elrod’s freshman season, and she also had a goal in that game against Warren Central. The next two years, the Lady Dragons ended Elrod’s season in that opening-round game.

Not on Monday night. Elrod made sure of that. With 13:39 left to play, Elrod lurked near the left sideline to collect a throw-in from teammate Lucy Patterson. Elrod spun and gathered the ball on a run toward the corner, but shook a defender to open a diagonal path through the penalty box. She flicked a quick shot past Lady Dragons goalkeeper Eriona Shabani into the back of the net to give her team a 1-0 lead.

“It was either going to be a pass or a shot, just depending on how the defense moved at that point,” Elrod said. “I saw an opportunity and just had to take the shot.”

Warren Central (17-5) had little choice but to press the attack, and Lady Raiders goalkeeper Cailyn Howard did feel some heat as she made three saves over the last 10 minutes, including two tough stops on shots by the Lady Dragons’ Adema Becirovic.

“I felt their intensity stepping up,” said Howard, who finished with six saves. “I knew they were going to come out harder in the second half because they wanted to dominate, but we came out even harder and just got ahead of them.

“… I’m so proud of my defense because they didn’t let me down. They communicated and they were where they needed to be.”

Warren East (12-5-3), which lost a 1-0 decision to Warren Central in the regular season, shifted senior forward Haley Eller to a defensive center midfielder spot for the first time this season.

“She played it beautifully,” Lady Raiders coach William Eller said of the move. “And I feel like a dumb coach for not playing her there earlier.”

While Haley Eller – the coach’s daughter – helped firm up the defense, William Eller focused on putting more pressure on the Lady Dragons. The Lady Raiders outshot Warren Central 6-4 in the first half, and Elrod’s goal was one of eight shots in the second half.

“It was all Warren East – they deserved the win, we didn’t deserve the win,” said Warren Central coach Alex Tungate, whose team was outshot 14-8 in the game. “They played their brand of soccer.”

The Lady Raiders have a short turnaround before facing a stiff test in top seed Bowling Green, which won the lone regular-season matchup 10-0 on Aug. 15. Game time is 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Warren East.

“All I told them tonight was to have fun and play your heart out,” William Eller said. “And my speech to them tomorrow night will be exactly the same.”