Knights dictate to Chargers in 3-0 victory
By Jimmy Lewis | jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
For the second straight match to open 2020, an energy shift for the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team in the second half made all the difference in the world.
After collecting a first-half goal via penalty kick against county foe Wilson Christian, the visiting Knights translated those positive vibes into a more physical second half. As yellow cards were handed out in both directions during the final 40 minutes, Wilson Christian fell off the demanding pace set by Greenfield in a 3-0 Knights victory.
It was the first loss for Wilson Christian, the North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A runner-up in 2019, in three tries, while Greenfield, the reigning North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A champion, climbed to 2-0. Both Greenfield victories have come via shutout.
“The first half, I thought we controlled the play pretty well,” Greenfield head coach Eric Nguyen said. “But we weren’t just playing as good as I liked.
“In the second half, we played a little bit better and just really focused on improving our energy. I felt like we were going at each other too much throughout the game and just not trusting everybody again. But it got better in the second half.”
Greenfield, a 1-A member of the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference, netted the lone goal of the first half outside of the run of play. The ball struck senior Spencer Parker in the hand while in the box, one that Wilson Christian head coach Don Samson contended was incidental contact and more of a protective posture.
However, it was ruled a handball, allowing Greenfield senior Sebastian Partida to take the PK in the 35th minute. He finished it past Wilson Christian sophomore goalkeeper Turner Provo, providing a 1-0 edge for Greenfield that lasted into halftime.
Each team took six shots in the first half, two on frame. There were a pair of tantalizing chances in the first half, with Greenfield sophomore R.J. Shealy fielding a cross and sending a shot off the post in the 17th minute. Just prior to the Knights’ PK, Wilson Christian junior Will Hoskins hit a shot off the post in the 34th. Junior Nestor Castro arrived for the follow, but was snuffed out at close range by Greenfield senior keeper Frankie Peele.
Tensions increased early in the second half.
A double yellow card was handed out — one to Greenfield and another to WCA — in the 45th minute. Roughly five minutes later, Provo was inadvertently poked in the eye and had to briefly leave the game.
Defensively, the Chargers found themselves tardy clearing a ball out of their penalty area in the 57th minute. That allowed Greenfield junior Jacob Wiggs to arrive and put it away past Provo, giving Greenfield a two-goal lead.
“It’s the first high-level soccer we’ve seen,” Samson said. “We were in it, at times. The mental side of this game can be interesting to handle sometimes, and I think that’s where they really edged us tonight.”
Peele stopped seven shots for Greenfield, including an 85th-minute collection of a Castro shot following a turnover while Greenfield was still nursing a two-goal lead.
Provo made two saves for Wilson Christian, but remained active as the Chargers were forced to battle their emotions.
“We need to work on that,” Provo said. “A lot of talking, a lot of hitting and shoving. So we just need to work on that and calm ourselves.”
Nguyen said the intent was not to open the second half as a physical force, but to merely improve chemistry that was lacking in the first 40 minutes.
“The point of emphasis was just being more positive with each other on the field,” he said. “Because I felt like we just weren’t. We did say if our energy was better, then everything else would be better.”
The Knights picked up a third goal with 34.6 seconds to go, with senior Jeremy Alvarez threading the ball to classmate William Smith on the counter. Smith picked up a one-on-one against Provo and slotted it away.
Greenfield’s defense was enhanced by the return of senior Cabell Metts to the lineup as he was joined by sophomore Nathan Lozevski, senior Will Powell, sophomore Lee Powell and sophomore Tyler Thompson in front of Peele.
Wiggs agreed that the impetus for Greenfield in the second half was an increase in its physical play.
“But smart physical,” he said. “Don’t go in dirty, don’t slide tackle and go hard for the ball.”
By Jimmy Lewis | jlewis@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807 | Twitter: @JimmyLewisWT
For the second straight match to open 2020, an energy shift for the Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team in the second half made all the difference in the world.
After collecting a first-half goal via penalty kick against county foe Wilson Christian, the visiting Knights translated those positive vibes into a more physical second half. As yellow cards were handed out in both directions during the final 40 minutes, Wilson Christian fell off the demanding pace set by Greenfield in a 3-0 Knights victory.
It was the first loss for Wilson Christian, the North Carolina Christian School Association 2-A runner-up in 2019, in three tries, while Greenfield, the reigning North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A champion, climbed to 2-0. Both Greenfield victories have come via shutout.
“The first half, I thought we controlled the play pretty well,” Greenfield head coach Eric Nguyen said. “But we weren’t just playing as good as I liked.
“In the second half, we played a little bit better and just really focused on improving our energy. I felt like we were going at each other too much throughout the game and just not trusting everybody again. But it got better in the second half.”
Greenfield, a 1-A member of the 1-A/2-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference, netted the lone goal of the first half outside of the run of play. The ball struck senior Spencer Parker in the hand while in the box, one that Wilson Christian head coach Don Samson contended was incidental contact and more of a protective posture.
However, it was ruled a handball, allowing Greenfield senior Sebastian Partida to take the PK in the 35th minute. He finished it past Wilson Christian sophomore goalkeeper Turner Provo, providing a 1-0 edge for Greenfield that lasted into halftime.
Each team took six shots in the first half, two on frame. There were a pair of tantalizing chances in the first half, with Greenfield sophomore R.J. Shealy fielding a cross and sending a shot off the post in the 17th minute. Just prior to the Knights’ PK, Wilson Christian junior Will Hoskins hit a shot off the post in the 34th. Junior Nestor Castro arrived for the follow, but was snuffed out at close range by Greenfield senior keeper Frankie Peele.
Tensions increased early in the second half.
A double yellow card was handed out — one to Greenfield and another to WCA — in the 45th minute. Roughly five minutes later, Provo was inadvertently poked in the eye and had to briefly leave the game.
Defensively, the Chargers found themselves tardy clearing a ball out of their penalty area in the 57th minute. That allowed Greenfield junior Jacob Wiggs to arrive and put it away past Provo, giving Greenfield a two-goal lead.
“It’s the first high-level soccer we’ve seen,” Samson said. “We were in it, at times. The mental side of this game can be interesting to handle sometimes, and I think that’s where they really edged us tonight.”
Peele stopped seven shots for Greenfield, including an 85th-minute collection of a Castro shot following a turnover while Greenfield was still nursing a two-goal lead.
Provo made two saves for Wilson Christian, but remained active as the Chargers were forced to battle their emotions.
“We need to work on that,” Provo said. “A lot of talking, a lot of hitting and shoving. So we just need to work on that and calm ourselves.”
Nguyen said the intent was not to open the second half as a physical force, but to merely improve chemistry that was lacking in the first 40 minutes.
“The point of emphasis was just being more positive with each other on the field,” he said. “Because I felt like we just weren’t. We did say if our energy was better, then everything else would be better.”
The Knights picked up a third goal with 34.6 seconds to go, with senior Jeremy Alvarez threading the ball to classmate William Smith on the counter. Smith picked up a one-on-one against Provo and slotted it away.
Greenfield’s defense was enhanced by the return of senior Cabell Metts to the lineup as he was joined by sophomore Nathan Lozevski, senior Will Powell, sophomore Lee Powell and sophomore Tyler Thompson in front of Peele.
Wiggs agreed that the impetus for Greenfield in the second half was an increase in its physical play.
“But smart physical,” he said. “Don’t go in dirty, don’t slide tackle and go hard for the ball.”
