Lady Cyclones slosh past Ridgecroft, 5-0
CCS outshoots Ridgecroft 30-4 in 5-0 domination on rainy night
By Jimmy Lewis Staff Writer
In the aftermath of a steady downpour, Community Christian School girls soccer head coach Rhine Sharp gathered his charges after his Lady Cyclones dispatched Ridgecroft School 5-0 in non-conference play Thursday night.
Sure, the Lady Cyclones didn't exhibit perfection on a wet, rainy evening on the pitch. But given the slick conditions and the adjustments required, the coach didn't waste any time nitpicking a cold, wet outcome that quickly scattered spectators following the final whistle.
"I thought they played pretty good," Sharp reviewed. "For these conditions, I thought we controlled the ball pretty well, as well as could be expected."
Community Christian, ranked No. 7 among North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 1-A programs, won its third in a row to improve to 3-1 after a season-opening loss at Oakwood. Ridgecroft, members of the Tarheel Independent Conference, fell to 0-2.
The Lady Cyclones proceeded to dominate possession, outshooting Ridgecroft 30-4 and placing 17 shots on frame. Freshman Emily Boyette, making her first start in net for CCS, picked up the shutout, making one save in each half. Sharpe has elected to move freshman Whitney Bissette, the Lady Cyclones' keeper for the first three games, into the field of play. Despite the low save total, Sharpe praised her awareness inside the box.
"This was Emily's first time touching a ball on a field," Sharpe reviewed. "I've had one 15 minute practice with her. That's it. And I think she's going to be pretty good. Hey one game, clean sheet. That's what we like!"
CCS, which had put away 17 goals in its first three games, struck first in the seventh minute. Freshman Morgan Lane sent a pass ahead for junior Hailey Dail, who provided the finish past Ridgecroft keeper Merindy Piland for the early Lady Cyclones' lead.
Meanwhile, the CCS defense held firm. Boyette turned in her first save in the 24th minute when she smothered a Ridgecroft free kick by Cameron Basnight from some 25 yards away.
Then, the Lady Cyclones put away two goals within the final seven minutes of the first half. Lane, who scored twice and provided a pair of assists, sent a quick through ball for freshman Anna Jackson at the far post, who tapped it in for a 2-0 CCS lead in the 34th.
Lane knocked in her first goal in the 39th, taking a shot inside the box that was fumbled by Piland and into the back of the net.
"It was real tough," Lane said of the conditions. "The ball was skipping a lot and all your shots seemed to go off. The ball was real fast rolling. It was very hard, but we practiced in some weather like this a lot, so we were used to it."
In the second half, Ridgecroft displayed its most dangerous chance when Basnight owned possession inside the CCS penalty area. But junior Jordan London provided a perfect slide tackle on Basnight to deny the chance.
Sharpe was effusive in his praise for London, the sweeper in the Lady Cyclones' defensive third - as well as senior Alex Jackson and freshman Erika Vanderbrink.
"Jordan London, my sweeper back is just spectacular," Sharpe assessed. "I haven't had a sweeper back like her since I had Grayson Smith back when we won (the NCISAA 1-A championship) in '08. She possesses the ball well, she can outrun just about anyone up top. She can go right foot, left foot. She's big, she's got good size and she's pretty fearless."
As the rain continued to pour, CCS struck for two more goals over the last 22:25.
Lane dribbled down the right side and finished a shot into the side panel in the 58th minute, and with 17:16 to go, freshman Olivia Bullard found Laura Bradley, a seventh grader, to complete the scoring.
CCS owned a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks, while Merindy stopped 12 shots for Ridgecroft.
The Lady Cyclones will take part in The Brittany on Saturday, opposing Beddingfield in the early 9:30 a.m. session.
"We're going to have to make some major-league adjustments going up against Beddingfield," Sharpe surmised. "Because they'll be very athletic and much bigger than us."
CCS outshoots Ridgecroft 30-4 in 5-0 domination on rainy night
By Jimmy Lewis Staff Writer
In the aftermath of a steady downpour, Community Christian School girls soccer head coach Rhine Sharp gathered his charges after his Lady Cyclones dispatched Ridgecroft School 5-0 in non-conference play Thursday night.
Sure, the Lady Cyclones didn't exhibit perfection on a wet, rainy evening on the pitch. But given the slick conditions and the adjustments required, the coach didn't waste any time nitpicking a cold, wet outcome that quickly scattered spectators following the final whistle.
"I thought they played pretty good," Sharp reviewed. "For these conditions, I thought we controlled the ball pretty well, as well as could be expected."
Community Christian, ranked No. 7 among North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 1-A programs, won its third in a row to improve to 3-1 after a season-opening loss at Oakwood. Ridgecroft, members of the Tarheel Independent Conference, fell to 0-2.
The Lady Cyclones proceeded to dominate possession, outshooting Ridgecroft 30-4 and placing 17 shots on frame. Freshman Emily Boyette, making her first start in net for CCS, picked up the shutout, making one save in each half. Sharpe has elected to move freshman Whitney Bissette, the Lady Cyclones' keeper for the first three games, into the field of play. Despite the low save total, Sharpe praised her awareness inside the box.
"This was Emily's first time touching a ball on a field," Sharpe reviewed. "I've had one 15 minute practice with her. That's it. And I think she's going to be pretty good. Hey one game, clean sheet. That's what we like!"
CCS, which had put away 17 goals in its first three games, struck first in the seventh minute. Freshman Morgan Lane sent a pass ahead for junior Hailey Dail, who provided the finish past Ridgecroft keeper Merindy Piland for the early Lady Cyclones' lead.
Meanwhile, the CCS defense held firm. Boyette turned in her first save in the 24th minute when she smothered a Ridgecroft free kick by Cameron Basnight from some 25 yards away.
Then, the Lady Cyclones put away two goals within the final seven minutes of the first half. Lane, who scored twice and provided a pair of assists, sent a quick through ball for freshman Anna Jackson at the far post, who tapped it in for a 2-0 CCS lead in the 34th.
Lane knocked in her first goal in the 39th, taking a shot inside the box that was fumbled by Piland and into the back of the net.
"It was real tough," Lane said of the conditions. "The ball was skipping a lot and all your shots seemed to go off. The ball was real fast rolling. It was very hard, but we practiced in some weather like this a lot, so we were used to it."
In the second half, Ridgecroft displayed its most dangerous chance when Basnight owned possession inside the CCS penalty area. But junior Jordan London provided a perfect slide tackle on Basnight to deny the chance.
Sharpe was effusive in his praise for London, the sweeper in the Lady Cyclones' defensive third - as well as senior Alex Jackson and freshman Erika Vanderbrink.
"Jordan London, my sweeper back is just spectacular," Sharpe assessed. "I haven't had a sweeper back like her since I had Grayson Smith back when we won (the NCISAA 1-A championship) in '08. She possesses the ball well, she can outrun just about anyone up top. She can go right foot, left foot. She's big, she's got good size and she's pretty fearless."
As the rain continued to pour, CCS struck for two more goals over the last 22:25.
Lane dribbled down the right side and finished a shot into the side panel in the 58th minute, and with 17:16 to go, freshman Olivia Bullard found Laura Bradley, a seventh grader, to complete the scoring.
CCS owned a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks, while Merindy stopped 12 shots for Ridgecroft.
The Lady Cyclones will take part in The Brittany on Saturday, opposing Beddingfield in the early 9:30 a.m. session.
"We're going to have to make some major-league adjustments going up against Beddingfield," Sharpe surmised. "Because they'll be very athletic and much bigger than us."
