Knights move into NCISAA 1-A semifinals with 6-1 win
By Jimmy Lewis WILSON DAILY TIMES
Staff Writer
The start was slow and involved going down a goal in postseason play, but when the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team struck back, it did so in pairs Saturday afternoon.
Senior James Wells supplied a hat trick to boost his state-leading goal total to 44, and the Knights marched into the semifinal round of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs with a 6-1 triumph over Kerr-Vance Academy on Forbes Field.
Greenfield, the No. 2 seed and winners over KVA by a 9-1 count in its season opener, improved to 16-2-1. KVA, seeded No. 10, had its season ended at 11-8.
The Knights will next play No. 3 seed Hickory Christian (13-7-1) in Tuesday’s semifinal at Forbes Field. Hickory advanced by knocking out No. 6 Community Christian in overtime, 2-1.
“We were slow off the kickoff,” Greenfield head coach Randol Mendzona reviewed. “It took us a little bit to get into the swing of things. But after the first half, we kind of settled in a little bit more. It’s always a competitive match when playing against Kerr-Vance, who works really hard whenever they play us.”
Indeed, it wasn’t easy early for the Knights. An errant goal kick sailed out of bounds, giving KVA a throw-in in the second minute. The Spartans’ Christopher Steg pounced on it, dribbling into the Greenfield penalty area and putting an unmarked shot past keeper Cedric Kirby. With no more than 82 seconds elapsed, Greenfield was down a goal.
“Reality kicked in,” Wells said of conceding the early goal. “And we knew they weren’t playing around with us. So we had to immediately adjust and play how we play.”
In short order, Greenfield certainly did that.
The first two shots from the Knights were on frame and resulted in goals less than a minute apart. Senior Logan Johnson got free and cranked a 20-yard shot into the net in the third minue, while sophomore Jackson Stone collected a pass inside the box and finished past the keeper. Before the fourth minute, Greenfield had gone from down a goal to up 2-1.
“We just build off of each other and play off of each other,” Wells said. “We’ve been playing the whole season with each other, so we know each other pretty well. We know our strengths when it comes to going down a goal.”
Leading by a goal, Wells opened his own scoring spreee in the 22nd minte. Off the right side, Wells dribbled in unmarked, allowing him to get off a hard shot that easily settled into the back of the net.
A set piece in the 23rd minute — a mere 46 seconds later — boosted Greenfield to a 4-1 lead. Wells got position in the box and finished a header of Johnson’s free kick.
The match become chippy at times, with each team getting three yellow cards.
Wells completed his hat trick with 12:16 to go, finishing a counter run off a KVA free kick. With 6:19 to go, Greenfield finally cashed in on a corner kick. Owning a 9-3 edge in the category, the Knights took two shots on frame inside the box off the corner. Junior Argenis Rodriguez collected the third and sent it past the goal line for the final margin.
Senior Cedric Kirby was credited with three saves for Greenfield before yielding to senior Ron Patel for the final minutes. Patel recorded one save to the delight of his teammates. Prematch ceremonies recognized the Greenfield senior quartet of Patel, Kirby, Wells and Johnson.
Thus, the Knights will attempt to give Mendoza his first appearance in a state championship match with a win Tuesday. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m., but could shift to 6 depending on Hickory travel plans.
“That’s what we’ve been working on all year,” Mendoza said. “So we’re just trying to break the semifinal curse, I guess. We’ll be ready and we’ll start preparing for what I believe is Hickory on Tuesday.”
By Jimmy Lewis WILSON DAILY TIMES
Staff Writer
The start was slow and involved going down a goal in postseason play, but when the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team struck back, it did so in pairs Saturday afternoon.
Senior James Wells supplied a hat trick to boost his state-leading goal total to 44, and the Knights marched into the semifinal round of the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A playoffs with a 6-1 triumph over Kerr-Vance Academy on Forbes Field.
Greenfield, the No. 2 seed and winners over KVA by a 9-1 count in its season opener, improved to 16-2-1. KVA, seeded No. 10, had its season ended at 11-8.
The Knights will next play No. 3 seed Hickory Christian (13-7-1) in Tuesday’s semifinal at Forbes Field. Hickory advanced by knocking out No. 6 Community Christian in overtime, 2-1.
“We were slow off the kickoff,” Greenfield head coach Randol Mendzona reviewed. “It took us a little bit to get into the swing of things. But after the first half, we kind of settled in a little bit more. It’s always a competitive match when playing against Kerr-Vance, who works really hard whenever they play us.”
Indeed, it wasn’t easy early for the Knights. An errant goal kick sailed out of bounds, giving KVA a throw-in in the second minute. The Spartans’ Christopher Steg pounced on it, dribbling into the Greenfield penalty area and putting an unmarked shot past keeper Cedric Kirby. With no more than 82 seconds elapsed, Greenfield was down a goal.
“Reality kicked in,” Wells said of conceding the early goal. “And we knew they weren’t playing around with us. So we had to immediately adjust and play how we play.”
In short order, Greenfield certainly did that.
The first two shots from the Knights were on frame and resulted in goals less than a minute apart. Senior Logan Johnson got free and cranked a 20-yard shot into the net in the third minue, while sophomore Jackson Stone collected a pass inside the box and finished past the keeper. Before the fourth minute, Greenfield had gone from down a goal to up 2-1.
“We just build off of each other and play off of each other,” Wells said. “We’ve been playing the whole season with each other, so we know each other pretty well. We know our strengths when it comes to going down a goal.”
Leading by a goal, Wells opened his own scoring spreee in the 22nd minte. Off the right side, Wells dribbled in unmarked, allowing him to get off a hard shot that easily settled into the back of the net.
A set piece in the 23rd minute — a mere 46 seconds later — boosted Greenfield to a 4-1 lead. Wells got position in the box and finished a header of Johnson’s free kick.
The match become chippy at times, with each team getting three yellow cards.
Wells completed his hat trick with 12:16 to go, finishing a counter run off a KVA free kick. With 6:19 to go, Greenfield finally cashed in on a corner kick. Owning a 9-3 edge in the category, the Knights took two shots on frame inside the box off the corner. Junior Argenis Rodriguez collected the third and sent it past the goal line for the final margin.
Senior Cedric Kirby was credited with three saves for Greenfield before yielding to senior Ron Patel for the final minutes. Patel recorded one save to the delight of his teammates. Prematch ceremonies recognized the Greenfield senior quartet of Patel, Kirby, Wells and Johnson.
Thus, the Knights will attempt to give Mendoza his first appearance in a state championship match with a win Tuesday. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m., but could shift to 6 depending on Hickory travel plans.
“That’s what we’ve been working on all year,” Mendoza said. “So we’re just trying to break the semifinal curse, I guess. We’ll be ready and we’ll start preparing for what I believe is Hickory on Tuesday.”
