 |
#10 Pinecrest vs #8 New Hanover Wednesday, November 6th, 2002 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
 |
||||
|
|
1
|
2 |
|
|||
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|
#10 Pinecrest vs #8 New Hanover Wednesday, November 6th, 2002 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
|
||||
|
|
1
|
2 |
|
|||
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
| Deep into the 4-A state soccer playoffs, the Pinecrest and New Hanover boys' soccer teams left it all on the field Wednesday night. All of the scoring came in the first half as the visiting Wildcats earned a 2-1 decision over the Patriots to advance to the round of eight at Wilmington Hoggard Saturday night. The game winner came in the 34th minute when a switch of fields by the Wildcats put Calvin Simon and Johan Icard facing the far post with only one defender between them and Patriot goalkeeper Jonathan Shute. Simon made the pass that beat the defender and Icard slipped the ball past the goalkeeper. The Patriots had tied the match nine minutes earlier on a goal by junior midfielder Jonathan Gribben. Following past dissappointments in the playoffs, the Patriots defeated Jacksonville in overtime on penalty kicks last Saturday night to advance to the third round for the first time in the history of the program. Early in Wednesday's contest, it was all Wildcats. "In the latter part of the season, we crossed over a belief threshold," Pinecrest coach Larry Martin said after the game. "I think we had to recross it after the game started. "They had some impressive touches and were moving the ball early and I think we were kind of set back by that. Then we started forcing them to make some mistakes and you could see the belief grow." The Patriots had already found their sea legs when Alston Mason notched his 20th goal of the season off a cross from Shawn Berting giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead midway through the half. The home team soon got back into it by winning balls on the Wildcat side of the field. On Gribben's goal, teammate Joe Burger worked his way past several defenders into the penalty area. When he was finally dispossessed, Gribben won it back and finished it near the left post. "They are a fast and athletic team and boy do they play hard," New Hanover coach Chip Stone said. "They are always attacking the ball and I really think that kind of unnerved us. We are not used to turning the ball over nearly as many times as we did tonight. "We are a high scoring team. We thought that with a team that plays aggressively, we would have more chances." The Wildcats took 11 shots to three for the Patriots in the second half, but were unable to extend their lead. In the 55th minute, Mason beat Patriot goalkeeper Rashad Gatling to a ball at the top of the penalty area and sent it toward the open goal. But sweeper Matt Capasso ran it down and kicked it away. Several minutes later, Burger found Gabe Bruno with a pass about 15 yards in front of the left post, but his left-footed skimmer was covered by Wildcat goalkeeper Robert Hutchins. The last best chance to tie the match came in the 77th minute when Hutchins barely beat a pair of Patriot attacked to a through ball from senior Brad Shinn. "I thought that defensively, we were as solid as a rock tonight," Martin said. "There was some shaky time at the beginning of the game and there was the breakdown on the second goal. "I thought there was a great potential for us to come back and put one in the goal - and I thought our guys continued to believe they could do that." Overall, New Hanover attempted 19 shots to eight for Pinecrest. Shute recorded one save, Gatling four and Hutchins four for the Wildcats. New Hanover, 20-2-2, and ranked eighth in this week's coaches' poll, now plays its Mideastern Conference rival and co-conference champion Hoggard (20-3-2), for the fourth time this season. The teams split their first two games and Hoggard won the third on penalty kicks to determine the first seed from the conference. Including the Jacksonville match and a 1-1 tie with Hoggard in the second game of the season, the Patriots went 1-1-1 aginst the top three teams from the conference. "We're hoping they come down and play us and Hoggard next season," the Wildcats coach said. Pinecrest (18-3-2) finished the season as Mid-Southeastern Conference champions and the 10th ranked 4-A team in the state. Playing their last game for the Patriots were seniors Burger, Capasso, Shinn, Doug Andrews, James Franklin, Bret Buckman, and Chad Holmes. <-Previous 11-2-02 vs Jacksonville (Second Round, State Tourn. W 1-0) |