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Pinecrest vs East Chapel Hill Thursday, October 21st, 2004 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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Pinecrest vs East Chapel Hill Thursday, October 21st, 2004 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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| A couple of boys’ soccer teams that will be first seeds in the state playoffs beginning on Nov. 3 got the tough workout they were looking for at Pinecrest Thursday. The Patriots made first-half goals by Travis Grasso and Marco Gironda hold up in a 2-1 victory over East Chapel Hill. They complete the regular season with conference games at Seventy-First on Monday and at home on Wednesday (Senior Night) against Douglas Byrd. The Patriots, now 14-3-2 overall, have outscored Mid-Southeastern Conference opponents 68-4, while compiling a league record of 10-1-1. The Wildcats, 14-6-2, are 12-0 in the Five County Conference with a 70-5 edge in goals. The two coaches got together to fill an open spot on the schedule of each team a couple of weeks ago. “He was looking for the same thing I was,” Patriot coach Larry Martin said of Mark Kadlecik, his counterpart for the Wildcats. “Both of us are in conferences that don’t continuously challenge us. Late in the season you’re playing a lot of those teams. You need to be able to step it up against a high pressure, high tempo and skilled team, and that’s what they are. I think we helped each other get ready for the playoffs by playing.” The Wildcats had an edge in the run of play for most of the first half. But in the 28th minute, the Patriots’ Joe Johnson crossed a ball from the right that found Grasso all alone just to the left of the visitors’ goal. The outside midfielder unloaded a low shot with his left foot that eluded the goalkeeper’s dive and found the net inside the far post. Then in the last minute of the half, forward Tommy Ransdell lofted a ball down the middle to running mate Gironda about 15 yards in front of the goal. Gironda beat the goalkeeper to the ball and kicked it into the open net for a 2-0 lead. The Wildcats regained the initiative early in the second half and kept it most of the rest of the way. Patriot goalkeeper Travis Frazier helped keep them at bay with aggressive play that allowed him to pick off dangerous crosses and through balls. But in the 64th minute, he made a dash to his left to retrieve a ball near the edge of the penalty box. The Wildcats’ Junior Pucilowski beat him to it. He sent a ball across the goal and Tim Berke put it into the open net making it 2-1. A few minutes later, Gironda’s kick was just wide on another open net opportunity. The Wildcats’ last four shot attempts at a tie were from 18 to 25 yards away and each sailed over the goal. The visitors took 13 shots in the match to 11 for the home team. “I think the key to the game,” Martin said,” was that we were able to match their high tempo of play. That allowed us to protect the lead. “It was a well-played game. We had a high ratio of finishing our opportunities and I was glad to see the guys do that.” The Patriots completed their non-conference schedule with a 4-2-1 mark against teams that have a combined record this season of 86-35-11. They outscored those seven opponents 13-8, losing to Lumberton (1-2) and Wilmington Hoggard (0-2). The Pinecrest junior varsity wrapped up its season with a 3-0 victory over East Chapel Hill. Tyler Dawson (two) and Coby Kavanaugh scored the goals and Matt Sessoms and Michael Hieronymus contributed assists. Glen Holmes was in the net for the team’s ninth shutout. Coach Mike Pratt’s squad scored 86 goals to nine for the opposition, while compiling an 8-0 conference and 14-1 overall record. <-Previous 10-20-04 at Westover (W, 14-0) 10-25-04 at Seventy-First (W, 6-1) Next-> |