HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — The third time was the charm for Green Hope.

After suffering two of its four losses to Southwest Wake Athletic Conference foe Holly Springs in the regular season, the Falcons won the third installment of an intense season series with a 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

12th-seeded Green Hope will go across the county to face third-seeded Wakefield in the 4A East regional final on Tuesday.

Holly Springs, the No. 1 seed in the East, had the majority of chances in the first half, though the run of play on both sides was electric and neither team scored.

Green Hope struck first when Tate Jackson flicked in a header from Jacob Colberg in the 61st minute to take a 1-0 lead. Holly Springs responded as a cross by Jacob Gibson was chested down by Jacob Slagle. The ball was one-timed by Charlie Aube to the back of the net, and the game was level in the 68th.

The dagger came just four minutes later as midfielder Andrew Zagacki won a ball for the Falcons and played a long ball through to Colberg. The Holly Springs defender missed getting a foot to it, Colberg never broke his stride, and he chipped it over the keeper.

In the final two minutes, a late cross by Gibson was nearly headed in, but was a few inches too high, and Green Hope advanced to the regional final.

Holly Springs (22-2-1) had gone 23 straight contests without a loss after opening up the year 0-1.

In the regular season, the two teams played twice in the same week due to a rescheduled rainout. Holly Springs won both of them. In that same timespan, Green Hope (23-4) suffered four consecutive losses but has won nine in a row since its 14-0 start quickly changed to 14-4.