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Pinecrest at Terry Sanford Monday, August 18th, 2008 Bulldog Stadium, Fayetteville, NC |
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Pinecrest at Terry Sanford Monday, August 18th, 2008 Bulldog Stadium, Fayetteville, NC |
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| A brilliant build-up from the back led to the only goal the Pinecrest boys' soccer team needed in a 2-0 season-opening victory at Terry Sanford Monday evening. Right-side defender Eric Parziale started the sequence with a pass across midfield to outside midfielder Aaron Stroker. Stroker played give and go with Thomas Goulden before the ball was released to the overlapping Parziale. Parziale then drilled a crossing pass toward the far post where teammate Max Brenner headed the ball into the net. "I just made my run," Brenner said later. "I guess I timed it right. It was a perfect ball." The Patriots had many more chances to extend their advantage, including a tantalizingly close shot by Brenner that nicked the left post. Early in the second half, Goulden missed twice from within the penalty area with only the goalkeeper in front of him. In all, the visitors took 18 shots in the match to seven for the home team. "It's been our problem for awhile," Goulden said of the inability to finish, going back to last year. "We're going to practice that this week before Lumberton and Fayetteville Academy (next week's opponents). It wasn't until the final minute that Jack Talton put away a ball chipped into the Bulldog penalty box by Ryan Osterman, providing the Patriots with a cushion. One of the few anxious moments for either first half goalkeeper Matt Scott or second half replacement Lewis Cable came in the 57th minute. Coming off a Bulldog corner-kick, Cable picked off a header by the Bulldogs' Macon Bullard. Patriot Central defender Taylor Miles admitted to being a little bit edgy about his team's inability to extend its lead against a Bulldog squad possessing some dangerous weapons. "I was a little bit worried," he said, "but I'm really confident in our defense. It's great to have a safety net with our two goalkeepers because they're both solid." Miles also thinks a tough pre-season regimen has the Patriots conditioned to play hard for the full 80 minutes. "After all that hard work we put in, it just feels good to lay it all out there," he said. "Coach (Larry) Martin has really put us in good shape. I'm not really tired right now. I could play another game." Martin was able to get all of his players into the match, keeping everyone fresh. "The thing I like about our team is, honestly, we're very deep," Martin said. "I don't really feel like we lose that much when we sub in. So one of the things we're going to do is go hard." Terry Sanford lost a number of key seniors from last year's squad that was 22-2. The previous five times the evenly-matched regional rivals met, the Bulldogs won twice by 2-1 scores, and there were three ties. Goulden played in the last two of those, an agonizing loss and a tie. "The first two years wasn't what I was looking for," he said. "This was sweet revenge, definitely." The Patriots are idle until Monday's home opener against Lumberton. The non-conference phase of the schedule continues with a match at Fayetteville Academy on Wednesday. Setting the tone for a successful evening in Fayetteville was the Pinecrest Green jayvee team's 6-0 victory over Terry Sanford. Bryce Baldelli scored the first of his two goals with a header off a cross from Jimmy Casey in the 27th minute. The Patriots sewed it up with a flurry of three scores within a six minute span midway through the second half. In the 59th minute, Preston Foote fed Morgan Van Camp for the goal that made it 2-0. Moments later, Casey put away a rebound before Jordan Beck connected off a Chris Potter throw in. The second goal by Baldelli and a Dane Nelson penalty kick completed the scoring. Goalkeepers Mitchell Dotson and David Alphin combined for the shutout. 8-25-08 vs. Lumberton (W, 6-0) Next>> |