Prep soccer -- Panthers rally past Aycock

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 26, 2004 1:58 PM

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KENLY -- Yielding a goal, especially in the first minute, is not a favorable start for any soccer team.

Unless you're North Johnston.

The Panthers, for the second straight match, relinquished an early goal -- this time against Charles B. Aycock. After that score, North Johnston answered with three quick goals in a five-minute span and claimed a 6-4 victory Wednesday evening.

"To be perfectly honest, I didn't know how we would respond," second-year Panthers coach Brent Walston said. "The way we responded was great. If that's going to be our trademark this season, then I hope we're in position to have a good year."

Aycock struck 36 seconds into the match.

Junior Jeff Mullins started the play with a long throw-in down the left sideline. Garrett Davis split two defenders, ran onto the ball and dribbled into the penalty area. He crossed the ball to Jorge Delgado, who hit a perfect strike to the far post for the 1-0 lead.

North Johnston countered.

The Golden Falcon defense failed to properly organize on the restart and allowed the Panthers (2-2) to push forward into the penalty area. The ball bounced freely near the goal mouth and Raul Farfan directed it toward forward Ashley Moore, who finished off the play for the 1-1 tie.

Two minutes later, Jake Lomonaco gave North Johnston the lead for good with a goal off Nelson Reyes' assist. Junior midfielder Brooks Sullivan made it 3-1 off Lomonaco's assist.

"I thought we had started off right," Aycock assistant coach Byron Adkins said. "Then we gave up three in five minutes. It was a very lackluster effort from the team tonight.

"Bennett (Jeffreys) was the bright spot in the back, but the other three were really just out there tonight and didn't do what they needed to do. It actually surprised me how poor we did play."

The Golden Falcons (3-1) failed to generate any offense from midfield. The passing wasn't crisp and the players didn't properly use the spacing to create open lanes. Davis and Delgado, many times, had to run onto balls and continue charging upfield for scoring opportunities.

By the time either Davis or Delgado prepared to take a shot on goal, several white-shirted Panthers were there for slide tackles.

"We haven't had a midfield since Rosewood," Adkins said.

Farfan and Garrett Stancil controlled midfield play for the Panthers. Walston had switched Lomonaco to the front line to provide more speed against Aycock's back defensive third, and to allow Farfan to employ his ball-handling abilities in the midfield.

"Stancil and Farfan, I thought, really worked well together," Walston said.

North Johnston boosted its advantage to 5-1 early in the second half. Moore scored in the 42nd minute and Lomonaco collected his second goal in the 43rd.

Aycock answered with a flurry of its own.

Using the corner kicks and free kicks to their advantage, the Golden Falcons pulled within 5-4 with less than 20 minutes remaining in the game.

Derwitz served a corner kick from the right side to the far post and Davis headed it into goal in the 49th minute. Tyler Mills sparked the next goal by lofting a ball off a free kick to Davis at the far post. Davis, again, headed the ball near the end line and it bounced to the middle of the penalty area. Rich Holder settled the ball nicely and easily tucked it away.

"When you've got a target like Garrett Davis, you know that he's going to get the ball," Walston said. "We worked on corner kicks in practice yesterday and did a good job in the first half. That's something we've got to continue to improve on.

"That's two games in a row we've made things a little more exciting by giving up some goals and allowing teams to stay in it."

Davis notched the visitors' final goal, a penalty kick, which occurred after he got fouled in the box. A sophomore, Davis has 13 goals and four assists in four games.

Sullivan finished off the scoring in the 68th minute. Farfan dribbled between two Aycock defenders and drove a low, sharp crossing pass to Sullivan on the right wing. Sullivan never flinched and delivered a perfect strike to the far post.

C.B. Aycock 1 3 -- 4

North Johnston 3 3 -- 6

First half

CBA -- Delgado (Davis assist), 0:36

NJ -- Moore (Farfan assist), 2nd

NJ -- Lomonaco (Reyes assist), 4th

NJ -- Sullivan (Lomonaco assist), 9th

Second half

NJ -- Moore (Lomonaco assist), 42nd

NJ -- Lomonaco (Farfan assist), 43rd

CBA -- Davis (Derwitz assist), 49th

CBA -- Holder (Davis assist), 56th

CBA -- Davis PK, 62nd

NJ -- Sullivan (Farfan assist), 68th

CBA NJ

22 Shots on goal 16

10 Corner kicks 2

0 Offsides 1

8 Fouls 17

Saves -- C.B. Aycock -- Bunn 4. North Johnston -- Josh Cooper 5.