Crossroads advances with dominant victory over KVA
• By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com;
HENDERSON — The opening game of the NCISAA 1A Tournament went exactly according to plan for the Crossroads Christian men’s soccer program.
Facing a familiar opponent in Kerr-Vance Academy, Crossroads took control of the game from the opening minute and pulled out an 8-0 victory on Thursday to give them their third and most efficient performance over their local rival this year.
While Crossroads head coach Holden Coghill knows that not every match in the NCISAA 1A Tournament will play out like the one on Thursday, he said that his players set a strong precedent for what is expected out of them as they pursue a state title.
“I’m really happy with our performance today,” Coghill said. “These guys had everything come together today and I’m proud of how they executed our gameplan and just dominated out there in all aspects. As a coach, you can’t be happier.”
All three of Crossroads’ top offensive contributors played a role in the relentless attack on KVA’s defense.
Sophomore Will Alston and freshman Thomas Shah each continued their stellar seasons with four goals apiece on the day. Senior Ryan Adcock created plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates and tallied four assists.
Coghill also praised senior goalkeeper Gage Edwards and the Crossroads defense led by senior Nicholas Shah for preventing KVA from finding the back of the net. Crossroads will end the season with three consecutive shutouts over KVA, giving them six on the year in total.
Thursday’s loss for KVA ends a tumultuous season that saw them finish 1-13, with their only victory being against Faith Christian back on Aug. 31.
Head coach Hector Galdamez anticipated that the 2021 season would be a challenge for KVA due to their overall inexperience and lack of depth but he said the determination his players showed through the adversity has provided a strong foundation that he looks to build on in 2022.
“This was a good learning experience,” Galdamez said. “We played a lot of good teams and there were a couple of games we should have won but it’s pretty tough to win when you don’t have that many guys. Fatigue sets in but they all fought hard through the whole season. Now we just have to get a few more people on the team.”
As KVA heads into a long offseason, Crossroads will now prepare to make a long trip to Belhaven, North Carolina to face off against Pungo Christian Academy, who Coghill believes matches up well with his team on offense and defense.
With such a long distance between the two schools, Coghill stressed the importance of physical and mental stamina but he has full confidence in his team to build off the momentum from their win over KVA and put together another stellar outing this weekend.
“We have to connect passes and play our game,” Coghill said. “Utilizing our strengths is important but we also have to keep searching for that extra gear. If we keep striving for greatness, it will bring the best out of the guys. We’re in a very healthy spot right now and I think we’re primed to get a sneaky upset on Pungo.”
Crossroads and Pungo Christian Academy will battle for a spot in the NCISAA 1A Final Four later today.
• By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com;
HENDERSON — The opening game of the NCISAA 1A Tournament went exactly according to plan for the Crossroads Christian men’s soccer program.
Facing a familiar opponent in Kerr-Vance Academy, Crossroads took control of the game from the opening minute and pulled out an 8-0 victory on Thursday to give them their third and most efficient performance over their local rival this year.
While Crossroads head coach Holden Coghill knows that not every match in the NCISAA 1A Tournament will play out like the one on Thursday, he said that his players set a strong precedent for what is expected out of them as they pursue a state title.
“I’m really happy with our performance today,” Coghill said. “These guys had everything come together today and I’m proud of how they executed our gameplan and just dominated out there in all aspects. As a coach, you can’t be happier.”
All three of Crossroads’ top offensive contributors played a role in the relentless attack on KVA’s defense.
Sophomore Will Alston and freshman Thomas Shah each continued their stellar seasons with four goals apiece on the day. Senior Ryan Adcock created plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates and tallied four assists.
Coghill also praised senior goalkeeper Gage Edwards and the Crossroads defense led by senior Nicholas Shah for preventing KVA from finding the back of the net. Crossroads will end the season with three consecutive shutouts over KVA, giving them six on the year in total.
Thursday’s loss for KVA ends a tumultuous season that saw them finish 1-13, with their only victory being against Faith Christian back on Aug. 31.
Head coach Hector Galdamez anticipated that the 2021 season would be a challenge for KVA due to their overall inexperience and lack of depth but he said the determination his players showed through the adversity has provided a strong foundation that he looks to build on in 2022.
“This was a good learning experience,” Galdamez said. “We played a lot of good teams and there were a couple of games we should have won but it’s pretty tough to win when you don’t have that many guys. Fatigue sets in but they all fought hard through the whole season. Now we just have to get a few more people on the team.”
As KVA heads into a long offseason, Crossroads will now prepare to make a long trip to Belhaven, North Carolina to face off against Pungo Christian Academy, who Coghill believes matches up well with his team on offense and defense.
With such a long distance between the two schools, Coghill stressed the importance of physical and mental stamina but he has full confidence in his team to build off the momentum from their win over KVA and put together another stellar outing this weekend.
“We have to connect passes and play our game,” Coghill said. “Utilizing our strengths is important but we also have to keep searching for that extra gear. If we keep striving for greatness, it will bring the best out of the guys. We’re in a very healthy spot right now and I think we’re primed to get a sneaky upset on Pungo.”
Crossroads and Pungo Christian Academy will battle for a spot in the NCISAA 1A Final Four later today.
