Magera's early goal calms Chargers, who heat up offensively
By Rudy Coggins GOLDSBORO NEWS ARGUS
Tony Townsend set the ball inside the pink-spot beside the corner flag that whipped freely in the cold breeze.
He raised his right hand.
"This is you, boy," Townsend said to Wayne Country Day teammate Jacob Magera.
Townsend delivered the corner kick into the 6-yard box, Magera out-leapt his defender and headed the ball into the middle of the net past the out-stretched gloves of Statesville Christian goalie Patrick Ferguson.
Magera's eighth-minute goal proved to be the game winner in a quarterfinal-round, 8-0 romp over the seventh-seeded Lions in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys' soccer playoffs.
Wayne Country Day (19-2-1 overall) travels to long-time nemesis Greenfield in semifinal-round play Friday. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Ben Forbes Field. The teams split their two-match regular-season series.
Oakwood and Lee Christian, which stunned defending state champ Hickory Christian in sudden-death overtime, square off in the other semifinal.
"(The early goal) takes a lot of weight off of us, we can kind of calm down a little bit and work those set pieces ... move the ball around a little bit," Magera said. "We played very good and it's definitely going to send a message to our next opponent. We'll see how that goes."
Eight different Chargers got into the scoring act.
Hunter Bryson punched in two goals and dished out two assists. Townsend, midfielder Noah Adkins and Luis Lopez each contributed one goal and one assist.
Matt Kierski and eighth-grader Nehemiya Shaw provided one goal apiece. Ben Cohen posted an assist.
"We came out and played well ... with urgency and that was enough to get the job done," Kierski said. "I think we played great. The movement was great. Noah's been playing well in the middle. You have to attribute a lot to him."
Wayne Country Day, ranked No. 2 in the state by Eurosport Soccer, controlled the pace and possession throughout the 80-minute affair. The Chargers attempted 25 shots, including eight that were stopped by Ferguson.
Charger goalie Patrick Hall received strong defensive support from the back four of Charlie Roethling, Jack Talton, Parker Smith and Hayes Gerrard. The quartet allowed the Lions (13-8-1) just four shot attempts and helped preserve Wayne Country Day's seventh consecutive shutout -- and 16th overall this season.
The Chargers have yielded just nine goals in 22 outings.
"We're very tough to break down," WCDS head coach Steve Ellis said. "We're not panicked. The boys are not rushed in the back, (they) maintain control. We're just tough to score on."
By Rudy Coggins GOLDSBORO NEWS ARGUS
Tony Townsend set the ball inside the pink-spot beside the corner flag that whipped freely in the cold breeze.
He raised his right hand.
"This is you, boy," Townsend said to Wayne Country Day teammate Jacob Magera.
Townsend delivered the corner kick into the 6-yard box, Magera out-leapt his defender and headed the ball into the middle of the net past the out-stretched gloves of Statesville Christian goalie Patrick Ferguson.
Magera's eighth-minute goal proved to be the game winner in a quarterfinal-round, 8-0 romp over the seventh-seeded Lions in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys' soccer playoffs.
Wayne Country Day (19-2-1 overall) travels to long-time nemesis Greenfield in semifinal-round play Friday. Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Ben Forbes Field. The teams split their two-match regular-season series.
Oakwood and Lee Christian, which stunned defending state champ Hickory Christian in sudden-death overtime, square off in the other semifinal.
"(The early goal) takes a lot of weight off of us, we can kind of calm down a little bit and work those set pieces ... move the ball around a little bit," Magera said. "We played very good and it's definitely going to send a message to our next opponent. We'll see how that goes."
Eight different Chargers got into the scoring act.
Hunter Bryson punched in two goals and dished out two assists. Townsend, midfielder Noah Adkins and Luis Lopez each contributed one goal and one assist.
Matt Kierski and eighth-grader Nehemiya Shaw provided one goal apiece. Ben Cohen posted an assist.
"We came out and played well ... with urgency and that was enough to get the job done," Kierski said. "I think we played great. The movement was great. Noah's been playing well in the middle. You have to attribute a lot to him."
Wayne Country Day, ranked No. 2 in the state by Eurosport Soccer, controlled the pace and possession throughout the 80-minute affair. The Chargers attempted 25 shots, including eight that were stopped by Ferguson.
Charger goalie Patrick Hall received strong defensive support from the back four of Charlie Roethling, Jack Talton, Parker Smith and Hayes Gerrard. The quartet allowed the Lions (13-8-1) just four shot attempts and helped preserve Wayne Country Day's seventh consecutive shutout -- and 16th overall this season.
The Chargers have yielded just nine goals in 22 outings.
"We're very tough to break down," WCDS head coach Steve Ellis said. "We're not panicked. The boys are not rushed in the back, (they) maintain control. We're just tough to score on."
