Knights 'Stone' Eagles
Senior's hat trick leads Greenfield to 4-1 win over Cape Fear Christian in 1-A quarterfinals
By Randy JonesStaff Writer WILSON DAILY TIMES
Sometimes when a team packs in their defense, a finisher has to come forward.
During Tuesday night’s North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys soccer quarterfinal match on the Forbes Field pitch, Greenfield’s Ryan Stone answered the call.
As Erwin’s Cape Fear Christian Academy dug its cleats in on defense, not advancing its back line past the 18-yard penalty area, Stone notched a hat trick (three goals) as the Knights won 4-1 to advance to the semifinals. There, the No. 3-seeded Greenfield side will host No. 2 Wayne Country Day School at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Chargers thumped No. 7 Statesville Christian 8-0 on Tuesday.
The Knights split a pair of 2-0 outcomes in the regular season with their Coastal Plain Independents Conference rival — losing at WCD on Sept. 24 and winning in overtime at home on Oct. 15.
Stone said the Knights entered the match expecting to control the game’s pace, something it easily did as the Eagles settled to attempt counter-attacks all night.
"We were planning on it,” said the senior forward. "That’s always the goal, to come out and put pressure on the other team as much as possible. We were consistent and we played some good balls out of the midfield.”
It was the gaping space in the midfield that allowed Greenfield to own a 12-1 edge in shots in the first half (7-1 on frame).
Greenfield (16-4-4) got its first chance in the fifth minute as midfielder Jackson Stone played to forward James Wells, who placed a shot on frame that was knocked down by CFC keeper Brandon Paisey for the first of his 12 saves on the night.
The Eagles (10-5) showed their attack play right after as Henry Odunze took a feed from the midfield and quickly put the ball on the feet of forward M.J. Melvin, who dribbled into the center and found Garrett Hobbs in the middle. The midfielder shot low and towards the back post, forcing Greenfield keeper Cedric Kirby to make a diving stop.
After that, the rest of the half belonged to the Knights offense.
In the ninth minute, Wells juked a defender off the ball about 25 yards out and pushed it to a streaking Ryan Stone who dribbled in and beat Paisey to his left for the 1-0 lead.
Wells drew the post in the 15th minute and launched a direct kick over the top bar in the 19th minute as Greenfield kept its attack going.
No chance found the back of the net again, however, until the 38th.
Knights’ midfielder Logan Johnson started an attack near midfield, drawing a defender out before his pass found Ryan Stone open. Stone had time to settle the ball and think about his options before striking a ball in front of the net that Wells headed in for the 2-0 advantage.
Greenfield wasted little time after halftime in building the lead.
On a corner kick in the 43rd minute, Johnson put the ball to Jackson Stone, who shot on frame and had his effort slapped away by Paisey. The ball went directly to Ryan Stone, who headed it into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
Up to that point, excellent chances had been numerous, but the finishes were special by Stone, Greenfield head coach Randol Mendoza said.
"When a team plays that deep,” he said. "You’re going to have a hard time finding the open space. That’s when players like Ryan Stone, who had a very special match, can break down a defense. It was nice to see.”
The Knights made it 4-0 in the 53rd minute on a some nice ball movement.
Wells started a run by beating his defender, playing the ball to an in-stride Jackson Stone, who controlled the ball and fed Ryan Stone, who put the ball in the back of the net to complete his hat trick.
"You have to pick the gaps to go after,” Stone said of his teammate’s passing. "We found the right ones and were able to finish.”
He added that a hat trick in the Knights’ playoff opener — they had a bye in the first round — wasn’t too shabby.
"Oh yeah,” he said. "That’s a good way to start the tournament.”
The counter-attacking of the Eagles got more efficient after the game opened up a little with Greenfield out in front. The Eagles had 10 shots in the second half to the Knights’ 14.
Odunze took a pass from the back for a breakaway in the 59th minute, but Kirby stoned his shot with both hands from 12 yards away.
Kirby needed to come up with six saves in the second half, mostly off the talented boot of Melvin.
"We didn’t know much about Cape Fear before they got off the bus,” Mendoza said. "Except that Mike (Melvin) was a very talented player. If you give a player like him 10, 15 yards, he’s going to make any defense pay the price.”
That spot came in the 61st minute as Paisley punted the ball to near midfield where it bounced to Melvin, who darted between and past three Greenfield defenders on his way to the goal. He took a low shot that Kirby kicked away, but right back to Melvin, who didn’t miss a second chance and made it 4-1."We had some breakdowns in the second half,” Kirby said. "But (Melvin) is a very good player.”
Senior's hat trick leads Greenfield to 4-1 win over Cape Fear Christian in 1-A quarterfinals
By Randy JonesStaff Writer WILSON DAILY TIMES
Sometimes when a team packs in their defense, a finisher has to come forward.
During Tuesday night’s North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A boys soccer quarterfinal match on the Forbes Field pitch, Greenfield’s Ryan Stone answered the call.
As Erwin’s Cape Fear Christian Academy dug its cleats in on defense, not advancing its back line past the 18-yard penalty area, Stone notched a hat trick (three goals) as the Knights won 4-1 to advance to the semifinals. There, the No. 3-seeded Greenfield side will host No. 2 Wayne Country Day School at 6 p.m. on Friday. The Chargers thumped No. 7 Statesville Christian 8-0 on Tuesday.
The Knights split a pair of 2-0 outcomes in the regular season with their Coastal Plain Independents Conference rival — losing at WCD on Sept. 24 and winning in overtime at home on Oct. 15.
Stone said the Knights entered the match expecting to control the game’s pace, something it easily did as the Eagles settled to attempt counter-attacks all night.
"We were planning on it,” said the senior forward. "That’s always the goal, to come out and put pressure on the other team as much as possible. We were consistent and we played some good balls out of the midfield.”
It was the gaping space in the midfield that allowed Greenfield to own a 12-1 edge in shots in the first half (7-1 on frame).
Greenfield (16-4-4) got its first chance in the fifth minute as midfielder Jackson Stone played to forward James Wells, who placed a shot on frame that was knocked down by CFC keeper Brandon Paisey for the first of his 12 saves on the night.
The Eagles (10-5) showed their attack play right after as Henry Odunze took a feed from the midfield and quickly put the ball on the feet of forward M.J. Melvin, who dribbled into the center and found Garrett Hobbs in the middle. The midfielder shot low and towards the back post, forcing Greenfield keeper Cedric Kirby to make a diving stop.
After that, the rest of the half belonged to the Knights offense.
In the ninth minute, Wells juked a defender off the ball about 25 yards out and pushed it to a streaking Ryan Stone who dribbled in and beat Paisey to his left for the 1-0 lead.
Wells drew the post in the 15th minute and launched a direct kick over the top bar in the 19th minute as Greenfield kept its attack going.
No chance found the back of the net again, however, until the 38th.
Knights’ midfielder Logan Johnson started an attack near midfield, drawing a defender out before his pass found Ryan Stone open. Stone had time to settle the ball and think about his options before striking a ball in front of the net that Wells headed in for the 2-0 advantage.
Greenfield wasted little time after halftime in building the lead.
On a corner kick in the 43rd minute, Johnson put the ball to Jackson Stone, who shot on frame and had his effort slapped away by Paisey. The ball went directly to Ryan Stone, who headed it into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
Up to that point, excellent chances had been numerous, but the finishes were special by Stone, Greenfield head coach Randol Mendoza said.
"When a team plays that deep,” he said. "You’re going to have a hard time finding the open space. That’s when players like Ryan Stone, who had a very special match, can break down a defense. It was nice to see.”
The Knights made it 4-0 in the 53rd minute on a some nice ball movement.
Wells started a run by beating his defender, playing the ball to an in-stride Jackson Stone, who controlled the ball and fed Ryan Stone, who put the ball in the back of the net to complete his hat trick.
"You have to pick the gaps to go after,” Stone said of his teammate’s passing. "We found the right ones and were able to finish.”
He added that a hat trick in the Knights’ playoff opener — they had a bye in the first round — wasn’t too shabby.
"Oh yeah,” he said. "That’s a good way to start the tournament.”
The counter-attacking of the Eagles got more efficient after the game opened up a little with Greenfield out in front. The Eagles had 10 shots in the second half to the Knights’ 14.
Odunze took a pass from the back for a breakaway in the 59th minute, but Kirby stoned his shot with both hands from 12 yards away.
Kirby needed to come up with six saves in the second half, mostly off the talented boot of Melvin.
"We didn’t know much about Cape Fear before they got off the bus,” Mendoza said. "Except that Mike (Melvin) was a very talented player. If you give a player like him 10, 15 yards, he’s going to make any defense pay the price.”
That spot came in the 61st minute as Paisley punted the ball to near midfield where it bounced to Melvin, who darted between and past three Greenfield defenders on his way to the goal. He took a low shot that Kirby kicked away, but right back to Melvin, who didn’t miss a second chance and made it 4-1."We had some breakdowns in the second half,” Kirby said. "But (Melvin) is a very good player.”
