Westchester soccer falls in meeting of No. 1s
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day got knocked down. Now it’ll work to get back up.
The Wildcats fell behind three goals over the latter portion of the first half and never really had an answer in losing 7-0 against juggernaut Calvary Day in PTAC boys soccer Tuesday evening at Westchester’s Kennedy Field.
“I thought we ran into a team that’s really, really good,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said. “They’re No. 1 in 3A for a reason. Ben (Kerth) has done a great job. I’ve watched them play and they’ve gotten better each week. They have a lot of seniors and juniors and we have a lot of underclassmen.”
The Cougars (10-3-1 overall, 3-0 conference), who are two years removed from winning a state title and are currently ranked No. 1 among NCISAA 3A teams by MaxPreps, took control to lead 3-0 into halftime and raced away in the second half.
Westchester, which also won a state title two years ago and is ranked No. 1 among NCISAA 2A teams, had a handful of chances to make a dent during the final minutes of the first and during an early flurry in the second.
But the Wildcats (7-1, 1-1) — missing two starters on an already youthful squad — couldn’t find the net, despite a couple decent opportunities on free kicks in the first half and an open look in the second half.
Calvary, a more veteran group, capitalized on its chances — knocking in a penalty kick following a handball in the 14th minute, controlling a ball near the net and scoring in the 27th minute and redirecting in a corner kick in the 31st minute.
It added scores in the 51st minute on another penalty kick following a foul in the penalty area, in the 56th minute on a ball through the middle and pass out right, in the 69th minute on a run up the field, and in the 77th minute on a breakaway to seal the outcome.
“We had eighth-graders, freshmen starting and they’re going up against 18-year-olds,” Schwartz said. “So, we have to learn. We got down a couple goals, and that’s only the second time all year we’ve been down. And I think they did a great job jumping on us and putting us down even further.
“But I think we learned a lot from this and we’ll bounce back. Like I told the guys, they’re a really, really good team. And they’re going to do great things. We just have to get better and play better on Friday.”
Nolan Patterson finished with five saves for Westchester, which was outshot 19-12 for the match. The Wildcats will look to bounce back Friday evening against crosstown rival High Point Christian at Kennedy Field.
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
HIGH POINT — Westchester Country Day got knocked down. Now it’ll work to get back up.
The Wildcats fell behind three goals over the latter portion of the first half and never really had an answer in losing 7-0 against juggernaut Calvary Day in PTAC boys soccer Tuesday evening at Westchester’s Kennedy Field.
“I thought we ran into a team that’s really, really good,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said. “They’re No. 1 in 3A for a reason. Ben (Kerth) has done a great job. I’ve watched them play and they’ve gotten better each week. They have a lot of seniors and juniors and we have a lot of underclassmen.”
The Cougars (10-3-1 overall, 3-0 conference), who are two years removed from winning a state title and are currently ranked No. 1 among NCISAA 3A teams by MaxPreps, took control to lead 3-0 into halftime and raced away in the second half.
Westchester, which also won a state title two years ago and is ranked No. 1 among NCISAA 2A teams, had a handful of chances to make a dent during the final minutes of the first and during an early flurry in the second.
But the Wildcats (7-1, 1-1) — missing two starters on an already youthful squad — couldn’t find the net, despite a couple decent opportunities on free kicks in the first half and an open look in the second half.
Calvary, a more veteran group, capitalized on its chances — knocking in a penalty kick following a handball in the 14th minute, controlling a ball near the net and scoring in the 27th minute and redirecting in a corner kick in the 31st minute.
It added scores in the 51st minute on another penalty kick following a foul in the penalty area, in the 56th minute on a ball through the middle and pass out right, in the 69th minute on a run up the field, and in the 77th minute on a breakaway to seal the outcome.
“We had eighth-graders, freshmen starting and they’re going up against 18-year-olds,” Schwartz said. “So, we have to learn. We got down a couple goals, and that’s only the second time all year we’ve been down. And I think they did a great job jumping on us and putting us down even further.
“But I think we learned a lot from this and we’ll bounce back. Like I told the guys, they’re a really, really good team. And they’re going to do great things. We just have to get better and play better on Friday.”
Nolan Patterson finished with five saves for Westchester, which was outshot 19-12 for the match. The Wildcats will look to bounce back Friday evening against crosstown rival High Point Christian at Kennedy Field.
mlindsay@hpenews.com | 336-888-3526 | @HPEmichael
