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#12 Pinecrest vs #9 Union Pines Friday, October 13th, 2006 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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#12 Pinecrest vs #9 Union Pines Friday, October 13th, 2006 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC |
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| Bragging rights, 1,200 howling fans, youth soccer players galore and a matchup of two highly ranked soccer teams turned John Williams Stadium into a house of fun Friday. With all the anticipation surrounding the intra-county clash between Pinecrest, the state's 12th-ranked 4-A team, and Union Pines, the state's ninth-ranked 3-A team, the contest lived up to the hype. The Patriots used a Matt Sessoms goal early in the second half to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win, handing the Vikings their first loss of the season. "The kids have worked hard preparing for this game," said Pinecrest coach Larry Martin. "It's a big deal for both teams, with both sides having played against each other since they were 8 year olds ... it's neat to see this many people excited about our teams and our game." Perhaps it was fitting that the future for both teams shared the night with the two squads. In recognition of local youth soccer, the game was billed as Sandhills Youth Soccer League night, helping to contribute to the packed house and the festive atmosphere. "These are the best fans in the state," Martin said. "It's a real celebration of soccer here in the community." Not only did the crowd boast the colorful jerseys of the members of the various SYSL teams and Patriot fans showing up decked out in green body and face paint, noisemakers and plenty of spirit, it also had many Viking supporters on hand hoping to see the visitors from across the county pull off the upset over favored Pinecrest. Viking coach Chris Hadlock appreciated the outpouring of interest in the game. "There was a home football game at Union Pines," he said, "or otherwise our turnout would have been even more impressive." With all the action going on outside the pitch, the game itself turned out to be an exciting and closely contested showdown. The lone goal came six minutes into the second 40-minute half. Patriot freshman Thomas Goulden began the scoring play by streaking down the right side toward the corner where he launched a crossing pass into the middle. Sessoms powered a header into the back of the net to break the ice in the scoring department. "I gave Matt grief early in the season for his heading skills," Martin said. "It was really nice to see his hard work pay off in such a big game." For the next 15 minutes, Union Pines (16-1-2 overall) would push bodies forward looking for the equalizer, with attacker Dalton Hadlock repeatedly breaking into the Pinecrest goal area until finally being hauled down, resulting in a yellow and red card being shown to Pinecrest. The Patriots (17-1-1) would have to realign their defense to weather the storm, just hanging on as time expired to collect the win. "They had us back on our heels in the first 40 minutes," said Viking coach Chris Hadlock, "but we played better in the second half. It was a good spot in the season to have this game, and I think it will help both teams to prepare for the playoffs. "We won't face a team of that quality until the third or fourth rounds of the state playoffs. It's nice to know we can hang with them and actually take it to them over the last 20 minutes." The Patriots came out flying in the first half, and if not for the stellar play of Viking keeper Travis Frazier, would have quickly pulled away. Ten minutes in, Pinecrest's Coby Kavanaugh would feed Jordon Howlett, who launched a rocket for the upper-right hand corner, but a leaping fingertip deflection by Frazier prevented the early Pinecrest lead. A minute later Sessoms would cross onto a Karl Ainslie header that would ring off the goal frame. Pinecrest would have additional chances off a Russell Stewart free kick and a Kavanaugh break into the box that would also be turned away by Frazier, leaving the halftime score an even 0-0. On a night that combined the future with the present, fans of both teams got a glimpse of budding programs when the junior varsity squads played to a 1-1 draw in the opener. Max Brenner supplied the Pinecrest goal, while Steven Golden punched home the Viking score. Dean Parziale contributed information for this article. <-Previous 10-11-06 at Hoke County (W, 10-0) 10-16-06 vs Jack Britt (W, 5-0) Next-> |