Pinecrest Patriots

Game 19

Pinecrest at Jack Britt
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
Buccaneers Stadium, Fayetteville, NC
Jack Britt Buccaneers
(15-2-1)
(12-0-0)
6
  1
(8-11-2)
(6-6-0)
Goals: John Kropp 2, Jack Talton 2, Coby Kavanaugh, Aaron Stroker (PC)
Assists: Thomas Goulden 2, Coby Kavanaugh, Aaron Stroker, Ryan Osterman,
   Michael Hieronymus, John Kropp (PC)
Pinecrest     2    4   -  6
Jack Britt     0    1   -  1

 
PATRIOT 11 CLINCH 11TH STRAIGHT TITLE
By Dean Parziale: Special to The Pilot, Appeared Friday, October 19th, 2007
     The Pinecrest boys' soccer team traveled to Fayetteville Wednesday night and broadsided the Buccaneers of Jack Britt High School 6-1.
     The Patriots came home with their 11th consecutive conference championship, remaining unblemished at 12-0 in Mid-Southeastern Conference play and 15-2-1 overall. The win assures Pinecrest home field advantage throughout its run in the state 4-A soccer playoffs that begin in two weeks.
     The Patriots will take on more pirates in their travels as the Pinecrest ship sails to Wilmington tonight for a non-conference match with the 11th-ranked Laney High School Buccaneers.
     Wednesday's game began with the Britt Buccaneers trying to employ a high offside trap to slow the Patriot attack. However, the Buc strategy backfired, as senior Coby Kavanaugh threaded a ball through the flat defense that junior John Kropp ran onto down the right wing and shot underneath the keeper from 20 yards out for the early 1-0 advantage just four minutes in.
     Only three minutes later, the Patriots extended the lead to 2-0, as sophomore Aaron Stroker picked out Kavanaugh in the middle of the field. The captain created enough space to lace a shot into the lower-right corner. Senior Brad McKeever in net for the Patriots was quizzed in the 10th minute, but a spectacular diving save turned out to be the answer. Unfortunately, Pinecrest would misfire on a number of quality chances during the half, keeping the score 2-0 until the break.
     Much to the delight of the Senior Night home crowd, the Bucs started to make a game of it by scoring just nine minutes after the restart, with a sharp cutback and strike from 18 yards finding the net to narrow the margin to 2-1.
     Pinecrest's response proved to be swift, as barely four minutes later sophomore Thomas Goulden received a pass from classmate Ryan Osterman and blasted a shot from 20 yards that the Buc keeper spilled into the path of Stroker, who emphatically finished for a 3-1 Pinecrest lead.
     The Patriots put the game out of reach in the 64th minute as the ever-busy Goulden worked down the left side, cut inside and found Kropp, who from close range poked home his second goal of the evening, silencing the crowd as the lead increased to 4-1.
     Sophomore Jack Talton would score the final two Pinecrest goals on near-identical plays. Talton, playing tight to the last defender, used his speed to run onto through balls played down the center of the field by senior Michael Hieronymus and Kropp, both times beating the keeper for goals five and six.
     The Pinecrest junior varsity team also defeated the Jack Britt jayvees 5-1, with the victory running the Patriots' season record to 17-1. Gray Anderson had two goals, while Neil Lewis, Jeremy Brock and Austin Dunlop contributed one each.



Season:   Goals Scored: 67    Goals Allowed: 17     Overall Record: 15-2-1    Conference Record: 12-0-0


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