Westchester advances to state soccer semifinals
Oct 20
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT – Westchester Country Day suddenly found itself down a goal early. It never panicked, but instead regrouped and fought its way into the semifinals of the state tournament.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats scored three straight goals late in the first half and early in the second to build a lead and fended off fifth-seeded Hickory Christian 4-2 on Saturday at Kennedy Field in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 2A boys soccer playoffs.
“We played great defensively and George did his thing – two more for him,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said with a smile. “But that was a great team win. Everyone who played in the field did their job. But their coach did a great job, and now we move on.
“That’s having 10 seniors,” he said of his team’s response. “They’ve been through it, and we had a hard schedule this year. All those conference games, I think this is where it pays off. We’ve seen everything – we’ve been down and had to come back; we’ve been up and had to hold leads. I’m just really proud of our senior leadership.”
George Culp, who scored 23 goals in the regular season, and Jacob Keshguerian each scored two goals to lead the Wildcats (11-5), who will face top-seeded Fayetteville Academy in Tuesday’s semifinals. Culp and Alex Nixon also each dished an assist as Westchester rallied from the early hole.
The Knights (14-4) took the lead in the eighth on a penalty kick following a foul in the box. But the Wildcats steadily built pressure throughout the half. Eventually, Culp scored in the 33rd minute – taking a pass near the top of the box, stepping and firing – and again in the 40th minute – winning a ball in the middle, dribbling and scoring with just 27 seconds left in the half.
“After they scored the PK, my teammate Reece (Hetley) brought us all together and picked us up,” said Keshguerian, a senior. “He made sure we knew we could do it and we believed in ourselves. He told us to go out there, get it and play smart – don’t commit too many fouls and dive in. He really picked us up and encouraged us and helped us find that confidence we needed to come back. ...
“It was an unbelievable feeling, knowing that we were up 2-1 at halftime. To know that we could calm it down, to know that we can score, and just to make sure we play calm and collected and not do anything too rash and have them come back on a quick counter. So, we just pulled our thoughts together and made sure we were calm and collected.”
Westchester padded its lead in the 50th minute when Keshguerian controlled a ball behind the defense off a throw-in and slid a shot past the goalkeeper. But Hickory Christian answered in the 74th minute to pull within 3-2. However, Keshguerian again scored off a long ball near the goal in the 77th minute to regain a two-goal lead.
“It was an unbelievable feeling to know that I was putting not just myself but my team into a more comfortable position,” he said. “Obviously being up 3-1 and then 4-2, having those extra goals under our belt made us feel a little more confident and a little more calm, knowing that we can do it and finish out the game strong. So, it was just an absolutely unbelievable feeling.”
Gavin Brumfield and Cook Smith each made three saves for the Wildcats, who outshot the Knights 19-8 for the game. Westchester will travel to top-seeded Fayetteville Academy (12-2), which beat eighth-seeded The O’Neal School 1-0 on Saturday, on Tuesday for a chance to play in next weekend’s title match.
“We’re playing the best team in the state the last 20 years,” Schwartz said. “You have Wesleyan and Fayetteville Academy. Those are two of the best teams. They’ve won tons of state championships, and we just have to go and play our best. We’ll have a good practice Monday and see what we can do.”
Oct 20
Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT – Westchester Country Day suddenly found itself down a goal early. It never panicked, but instead regrouped and fought its way into the semifinals of the state tournament.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats scored three straight goals late in the first half and early in the second to build a lead and fended off fifth-seeded Hickory Christian 4-2 on Saturday at Kennedy Field in the quarterfinals of the NCISAA 2A boys soccer playoffs.
“We played great defensively and George did his thing – two more for him,” Westchester coach Adam Schwartz said with a smile. “But that was a great team win. Everyone who played in the field did their job. But their coach did a great job, and now we move on.
“That’s having 10 seniors,” he said of his team’s response. “They’ve been through it, and we had a hard schedule this year. All those conference games, I think this is where it pays off. We’ve seen everything – we’ve been down and had to come back; we’ve been up and had to hold leads. I’m just really proud of our senior leadership.”
George Culp, who scored 23 goals in the regular season, and Jacob Keshguerian each scored two goals to lead the Wildcats (11-5), who will face top-seeded Fayetteville Academy in Tuesday’s semifinals. Culp and Alex Nixon also each dished an assist as Westchester rallied from the early hole.
The Knights (14-4) took the lead in the eighth on a penalty kick following a foul in the box. But the Wildcats steadily built pressure throughout the half. Eventually, Culp scored in the 33rd minute – taking a pass near the top of the box, stepping and firing – and again in the 40th minute – winning a ball in the middle, dribbling and scoring with just 27 seconds left in the half.
“After they scored the PK, my teammate Reece (Hetley) brought us all together and picked us up,” said Keshguerian, a senior. “He made sure we knew we could do it and we believed in ourselves. He told us to go out there, get it and play smart – don’t commit too many fouls and dive in. He really picked us up and encouraged us and helped us find that confidence we needed to come back. ...
“It was an unbelievable feeling, knowing that we were up 2-1 at halftime. To know that we could calm it down, to know that we can score, and just to make sure we play calm and collected and not do anything too rash and have them come back on a quick counter. So, we just pulled our thoughts together and made sure we were calm and collected.”
Westchester padded its lead in the 50th minute when Keshguerian controlled a ball behind the defense off a throw-in and slid a shot past the goalkeeper. But Hickory Christian answered in the 74th minute to pull within 3-2. However, Keshguerian again scored off a long ball near the goal in the 77th minute to regain a two-goal lead.
“It was an unbelievable feeling to know that I was putting not just myself but my team into a more comfortable position,” he said. “Obviously being up 3-1 and then 4-2, having those extra goals under our belt made us feel a little more confident and a little more calm, knowing that we can do it and finish out the game strong. So, it was just an absolutely unbelievable feeling.”
Gavin Brumfield and Cook Smith each made three saves for the Wildcats, who outshot the Knights 19-8 for the game. Westchester will travel to top-seeded Fayetteville Academy (12-2), which beat eighth-seeded The O’Neal School 1-0 on Saturday, on Tuesday for a chance to play in next weekend’s title match.
“We’re playing the best team in the state the last 20 years,” Schwartz said. “You have Wesleyan and Fayetteville Academy. Those are two of the best teams. They’ve won tons of state championships, and we just have to go and play our best. We’ll have a good practice Monday and see what we can do.”
