Hunt Warriors jolt No. 2 C.B. Aycock
October 10, 2008 By Charles Alston of North Carolina
By Tom Ham
Wilson Daily Times
The Hunt High varsity boys soccer team found itself opposing not only an undefeated foe but the No. 2-ranked 3-A team in the state on Senior Night.
Not an enviable assignment.
However, the Warriors embraced the occasion, responding with a rousing 3-1 conquest of 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference leader Charles B. Aycock before a revved up turnout Wednesday.
Hunt stunned the Golden Falcons with a goal in the first 30 seconds and never trailed in pulling into a tie for the conference lead with CBA at 7-1. Each team has two league matches remaining.
"It was fun," exclaimed junior defender Eli Inscoe. "We were all pumped up. We got manhandled (lost 4-0) the first time. We came out strong and all came out together."
In climbing to 14-3-1, the Warriors dealt CBA its first defeat against 15 wins.
"We played hard, but our heads kind of dropped toward the end of the game," summarized CBA head coach Kevin Adkins. "But Hunt had a great game. They came to win, and they won."
The fans weren't even settled when junior forward Aaron White worked the ball to the middle and freshman Henry Orellana whizzed an accurate shot.
Less than two minutes later, Orellana cranked a shot from close range off the crossbar and was unsuccessful on the rebound.
"We got a shot off really quick, and that was what we wanted," Inscoe said. "Henry and Aaron had it going on."
Hunt owned a 1-0 halftime lead. White was unable to finish in the closing moments, while CBA's opportunities originated with throw-ins from junior David Burke and corner kicks from senior Gavin Forrest.
Sam Hoeferkamp, Biez Neto and Matthew Sullivan played solid. Inscoe, senior Michael Boykin, junior Harry Lamm, senior Eric Nguyen and senior Robert Shick keyed a defense that limited senior Alex Rodriguez, CBA's top scorer, to one decent shot.
"We tried to mark him really close and not let him turn," Inscoe said. "We locked him down pretty good. We didn't need any shots from him."
"After the first half, I thought we would equalize," Adkins commented. "But we just died as the game went on. The boys thought they were invincible, couldn't be beat. It was a poor effort."
Hunt forged a 2-0 lead some 10 minutes into the second half. Orellano fielded a long kick from Schick and surprised Falcons' defenders with his second goal.
CBA then found life with approximately 24 minutes left. Off a Burke throw-in, CBA junior Landon Swan shielded standout Hunt sophomore goalkeeper Will Jacobs from the ball and got credit for the goal when the ball slipped past Jacobs.
But approximately two minutes later, White deflated the Falcons with a left-footed shot that glanced off the right post and flicked into the net.
Adkins saw the play developing.
"Not enough people came to close on him," the veteran CBA coach said. "The shot was well-taken; it was a pretty goal."
From there, the Warriors not only protected the lead but handled the composure issue as the proceedings intensified. Each team was assessed a pair of yellow cards.
"It was a very big game," said first-year Hunt head coach Trent Dorough. "Both teams played great, but we came out and struck early.
"It got a little more physical than it should have, but the boys kept their cool for the most part ... that was the key. Tonight, we performed and kept cool. That's what won it for us."
The celebration included the fans, primarily students, pouring onto the pitch.
"We haven't been ranked in a while, but we're back on top," Inscoe proclaimed. |
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