WCDS uses speed to eliminate RMA
The looks on Rocky Mount Academy’s players said it all Tuesday afternoon.
Wayne Country Day showcased an engine that never stopped running and left the Eagles hunched over with their hands on their hips during their opening-round game in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 2-A boys’ soccer playoffs.
“They looked gassed,” said Wayne Country Day head coach Steve Ellis, whose sixth-seeded Chargers won 2-0 in a tenacious, yet composed manner.
“Credit to them they did what they came to do which was to frustrate us and defend. I thought we moved the ball really well. It was a little bit of training exercise because they played with six defenders to try and stop us from scoring.
“We never got out of first gear because they didn’t get into our half until the last five minutes of the game.”
Rocky Mount Academy put pressure on the unbeaten Chargers and forced them to take uncharacteristic shots in the opening minutes. Four shots were either blocked or sailed over the net.
Everything changed in the sixth minute.
As he attempted to recover the ball, RMA’s goalie collided with a defender. Nehemiya Shaw gathered the loose ball and tucked it away in an open net to give WCDS a 1-0 lead it carried into halftime.
“We could’ve scored more with the chances we had,” Ellis said. “This was our first game since last Wednesday, so I knew we’d be a little behind, but it was good to shake off the cobwebs and get back on the field.”
Five minutes into the second half, DJ Drew stole the ball from an RMA defender. Standing inside the box, Drew a hit shot that slipped through the goalie’s hands and rolled into the net.
“Wayne Country has an excellent team,” Rocky Mount Academy head coach Larry Smith said. “They’re really efficient and I was impressed by their ability to create opportunities.”
Wayne Country Day (16-0-0 overall) used its unrelenting defense to tire out Rocky Mount in the second half.
The Chargers dominated the time of possession and held the Eagles to only two shots on the goal.
“It was kind of a strange game, but we got the job done and that’s all that matters,” Ellis said. “With it being a playoff game, you’d expect them to try and get back into the game, but it didn’t happen.”
2A SC
The looks on Rocky Mount Academy’s players said it all Tuesday afternoon.
Wayne Country Day showcased an engine that never stopped running and left the Eagles hunched over with their hands on their hips during their opening-round game in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 2-A boys’ soccer playoffs.
“They looked gassed,” said Wayne Country Day head coach Steve Ellis, whose sixth-seeded Chargers won 2-0 in a tenacious, yet composed manner.
“Credit to them they did what they came to do which was to frustrate us and defend. I thought we moved the ball really well. It was a little bit of training exercise because they played with six defenders to try and stop us from scoring.
“We never got out of first gear because they didn’t get into our half until the last five minutes of the game.”
Rocky Mount Academy put pressure on the unbeaten Chargers and forced them to take uncharacteristic shots in the opening minutes. Four shots were either blocked or sailed over the net.
Everything changed in the sixth minute.
As he attempted to recover the ball, RMA’s goalie collided with a defender. Nehemiya Shaw gathered the loose ball and tucked it away in an open net to give WCDS a 1-0 lead it carried into halftime.
“We could’ve scored more with the chances we had,” Ellis said. “This was our first game since last Wednesday, so I knew we’d be a little behind, but it was good to shake off the cobwebs and get back on the field.”
Five minutes into the second half, DJ Drew stole the ball from an RMA defender. Standing inside the box, Drew a hit shot that slipped through the goalie’s hands and rolled into the net.
“Wayne Country has an excellent team,” Rocky Mount Academy head coach Larry Smith said. “They’re really efficient and I was impressed by their ability to create opportunities.”
Wayne Country Day (16-0-0 overall) used its unrelenting defense to tire out Rocky Mount in the second half.
The Chargers dominated the time of possession and held the Eagles to only two shots on the goal.
“It was kind of a strange game, but we got the job done and that’s all that matters,” Ellis said. “With it being a playoff game, you’d expect them to try and get back into the game, but it didn’t happen.”
2A SC
