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Pinecrest vs Seventy-First Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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(3-1-1) |
13
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(2-3-0) |
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Pinecrest vs Seventy-First Wednesday, September 29th, 2004 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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(3-1-1) |
13
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0 |
(2-3-0) |
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| After finding goals hard to come by in recent matches against Mid-Southeastern Conference contenders, the Pinecrest boys’ soccer team scored early and often in Wednesday’s 13-0 home victory over Seventy-First. Travis Grasso and Caleb Miles each posted their first varsity hat tricks to lead the way. Marco Gironda scored twice and assisted on a goal, and Tommy Ransdell and Andy Tagliarini each contributed a pair of assists. Tonight, the Patriots take a 3-1-1 league and 5-2-2 overall record into a 7 p.m. non-conference match against Wilson Fike on Sandhills Youth Soccer League (SYSL) Night. The Patriot jayvee squad puts an 8-0 mark on the line against the Golden Demons at 5 p.m. All SYSL players wearing their team jerseys will be admitted to the game free of charge. Patriot coach Larry Martin hopes to see plenty of kids in the stands. “We welcome the kids all year long with their jerseys on,” he said. “This is a special night to recognize the SYSL, its importance to us and our bond with the league. It’s a great chance for them to come out and watch a high school soccer game and to bring their parents along with them.” Although the Golden Demons from the Big Eight North Conference are experiencing an off year, they made it to the second round of the 3-A state playoffs a year ago. The Patriots can expect a much tougher match than they got from the Falcons on Wednesday. Splitting the offside trap of the visitors all night with ease, the Patriots got on the board in the fifth minute when Grasso took a pass from Gironda and tucked the ball inside the far post. Five minutes later, Grasso centered the ball to Miles for an easy first-time finish from about 10 yards away, making it 2-0. Next it was Ransdell linking up with Gironda for a similar goal from the other side. Logan Creque made it 4-0 with a quickly taken direct kick after he was brought down by a Falcon defender just outside the penalty box. Later, Scott Phifer crossed a ball to Jordan Hansley for one goal and then was taken down in the box and converted the penalty kick making it 6-0 at the half. Miles, playing in the center midfield after starting most of the games this season as a defender, was involved in two of the first three goals of the second half, each of the highlight-reel variety. On the first, Grasso soared to head home a cross from Ransdell. A minute later, Miles connected on a cross from Joe Johnson. Then in the 57th minute he completed his hat trick by beating the Falcon keeper at short range after carrying the ball halfway across the penalty area through heavy traffic. The senior said that getting into the offensive action was fun especially after the 2-2 tie with Richmond County and the 2-1 loss at Jack Britt that have the Patriots uncharacteristically looking up at those teams in the league standings. “It was kind of frustrating playing in the back when we were down,” he said of those results. “We were just too confident in expecting to win.” About midway through the second half, Tagliarini fed Grasso, then Gironda for goals. Later, Greg Pattis, on a solo effort, and Omar Abusamra, off a pass from Daniel Johnson, completed the scoring. Nearing the halfway mark of the season, the Patriots trail Jack Britt by one and a-half games. They will need some help from one of the other teams to catch the Bucs, if the Patriots hope to capture an eighth consecutive conference title. They play the Bucs at home on Oct. 18. Next week they are on the road at Douglas Byrd (Monday) and Scotland County (Wednesday). On Tuesday they entertain Westover in a make up of Monday’s postponed contest. “We are going to focus on what we can control,” Martin said. “Like the cliché, we’re just going to take them one at a time, try to improve and get ready for the postseason. We won’t worry about the rest of it.” The Patriots took 34 shots to three for the visitors. Marshall McIntosh was in the goal for the Patriots’ fourth shutout victory of the season. The Falcons dropped to 2-3 in the conference and 4-8 overall. Goals: (P) Grasso 3, Miles 3, Gironda 2, Creque, Hansley, Phifer, Pattis, Abusamra. Assists: (P) Ransdell 2, Tagliarini 2, Grasso, Phifer, J. Johnson, D. Johnson, Gironda. Saves: (S) Aber 6 (P) McIntosh 3. Shutout: McIntosh. <-Previous 9-22-04 at Jack Britt (L, 1-2) 10-1-04 vs. Wilson Fike (W, 3-1) Next-> |