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Pinecrest vs #7 Pine Forest Wednesday, August 14th, 2002 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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Pinecrest vs #7 Pine Forest Wednesday, August 14th, 2002 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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| Pine Forest came into Wednesday’s boys’ soccer opener at Pinecrest as the seventh ranked 4A team in the state in the coaches’ association preseason poll released this week. But the Trojans were unable get off a shot until the game’s 56th minute. By that time, the Patriots led 2-0 on the way to a 3-0 victory that was more one-sided than that. Juniors Jonathan Gribben, Gabe Bruno and Stephen Lacher accounted for the goals. Juniors Will Carpenter and David Jannone and senior Joe Burger contributed assists. The Patriots took 19 shots in all to two for the visitors. This evening, Wilmington Hoggard, the eighth-ranked team in the same poll, meets Pinecrest in another 7 p.m. home contest. The junior-varsity squads are scheduled to meet at 5:00 p.m. Missing 10 seniors from its 25-4 team of a year ago, the visitors were just a shadow of the squad that defeated the Patriots 1-0 last season in Fayetteville and made it to the state quarterfinals. Still, the home team was unable to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities until the final 45 seconds of the first half. Carpenter lofted a ball from just inside the right sideline across the penalty box to Gribben waiting near the far post. The tall outside midfielder, who prefers his left foot, put the ball past goalkeeper Jonathon MacRae with his first touch. “In the first half, I was a little surprised by how much we were dominating play — and I was a little frustrated we had so many opportunities we didn’t finish,” Pinecrest coach Larry Martin said. “I really felt we needed to be more composed and instead of cracking off a desperation shot, take another touch and try to find something better. The sequence at the start of the second half kind of made up for the frustration of the first half.” Thirty seconds into the second stanza, Burger checked back for a ball on the right side near midfield, touched it inside and received the ball back in stride racing down the side. He then sent a ball on the ground across the penalty area. The only Trojan defender with a chance to intercept it missed, and Bruno was there to finish it for the 2-0 lead. With 13 minutes to play, junior midfielder Neal Perez launched a shot from 25 yards out. It deflected off a defender to Jannone in the penalty area. He dropped it back to Lacher who first-timed it into the net to complete the scoring. Burger, who took six of the Patriot shots, said that talk about the game at school during the day helped hype the team up. A good crowd was on hand and posters supporting the team lined the front of the stands. “We played so much more aggressively than they did,” he said. “We won all the 50-50 balls and I think that was one of the deciding factors.” Juniors Jonathan Shute and Rashad Gatling each played a half in the goal for Pinecrest. Gatling picked up the only save on a free kick by Chris Varela. MacRae saved three for the Trojans. Nine different players took shots for the Patriots. The junior varsity game that was originally scheduled was cancelled. 8-16-02 #8 Hoggard (T, 1-1) Next>> |