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Pinecrest vs #2 Apex Friday, September 14th, 2007 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC Game called after 26 minutes due to lightning. Match unofficial. |
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Pinecrest vs #2 Apex Friday, September 14th, 2007 John Williams Field, Southern Pines, NC Game called after 26 minutes due to lightning. Match unofficial. |
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| Bad weather was the only thing that appeared to slow down the Pinecrest boys' soccer team Friday. The Patriots put on an impressive home performance, scoring two unanswered goals in the first 26 minutes to lead second-ranked Apex High School 2-0 when the match was suspended because of lightning in the area. The match will be resumed at a later date, also at the John Williams Athletic Complex. The almost 1,000 fans who braved the weather forecast will be re-admitted free at the continuation. Pinecrest coach Larry Martin was pleased with his team's play, while a little displeased that the weather threw a wrench in the proceedings. "Everyone on the field looked good tonight," he said. "We jumped on them early and wouldn't let go. I would have liked to finish tonight, but hopefully we'll be able to find another Friday night to continue, and the sooner the better." The large pro-Pinecrest crowd clearly took the visitors out of their game and provided motivation for the locals as the Patriots had clear run of play for nearly the entire contest, despite the opponents' reputation and unblemished 6-0-1 record. Pinecrest, 6-2 overall, gained confidence early, as it was able to penetrate the Apex defense. At the 10-minute mark, sophomore Aaron Stroker raced past a defender down the right wing, delivering a dangerous cross past the Apex keeper that senior Tyler Dawson just missed putting in the open net. Great ball movement would lead to the first goal in the 12th minute, with junior Eric Parziale delivering a 30-yard lofted pass that Dawson controlled off his chest at the 18 and redirected to Thomas Goulden. The sophomore, running down left wing, received the ball in stride and fired a bullet underneath the Apex keeper to the delight of the home fans. Proving it was no fluke, Pinecrest added the second goal just two minutes later. Once again, Goulden, streaking down the left wing with the ball, delivered a textbook perfect cross that senior Coby Kavanaugh thumped past the Apex keeper with his head. "All the credit goes to Thomas," Kavanaugh said. "The ball couldn't have been placed any better." Pinecrest just missed another scoring chance when a well-executed corner play had Goulden delivering into the danger zone. However, the ball barely escaped being headed by three Patriots attacking the goal. The Patriots' defensive play forced four offsides calls against the visitors, who never mounted a serious threat toward the Patriots' goal. Senior keeper Brad McKeever would clear away two efforts that were played long of the maturing Pinecrest back four. Pinecrest, 2-0 in the Mid-Southeastern Conference, resumes league play Monday night at home, with Richmond County (5-2) providing the opposition. The junior varsity game kicks off the action at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity contest following at 7 p.m. In Friday's first game, the Apex jayvees handed the Pinecrest jayvees their first loss, while also breaking a season-long Patriot shutout streak with a 3-0 win. <-Previous 9-12-07 at Scotland County (W, 3-1) 9-17-07 vs Richmond County (W, 4-2) Next-> |